


The Sweetest Taste

by AuraFelix



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Chef Levi, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Possibly other ships, Romance, Seme Eren, Smut, Uke Levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 06:48:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 83,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1183151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuraFelix/pseuds/AuraFelix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After graduating from a Culinary School, Levi gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to kick-start his career at an old chain restaurant. Phoenix used to be the most popular dinner place in the city, but due to rumors being spread, it's close to bankruptcy and closing down. If Levi manages to help save the restaurant, he is granted a great career as a chef. And he definitely would, if not for a certain annoyingly charming food-critic, who seems to have made taking down Phoenix his life goal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He knew it.

He fucking knew this would be the day Lady Luck decided to shove her glorious middle finger in his face. The moment the messy brunette with the ridiculous oversized coral-coloured cardigan collided with him and _almost_ knocked him over, Levi knew this day wouldn't go as smooth as he had hoped.  
  
It seemed like the entire city had noticed how great the coffee was in this particular café; it was small and normally Levi could walk right up to the counter and be out again in 5 minutes with a large cup of steaming hot perfect coffee to-go. But not today - not this special day, where he really just needed a large shot of caffeine.

After finally losing his patience, Levi was about to leave the store without buying anything and just head for his new working place. But then the idiot in front of him finally stopped entertaining the barista with his stupidity, and decided on what he wanted to order. Levi took a step forward, ready to place his order as soon as the taller man was out of his way. Unfortunately, the brunette was too caught up in his newspaper to notice that there were other people around him, and as he turned around to leave the counter, he ran straight into Levi.

That was when everything went downhill.

"Watch it, asshole!" Levi hissed and pushed the other man away, to keep his coffee away from his white shirt. He looked up and was met with bright green eyes and a surprised expression, like the brunette had been completely lost in his own world. The green eyes widened a bit as they locked with Levi's grey orbs, and the stranger shot him a bright smile.

"Sorry, love, I didn't see you there," the brunette answered, apparently completely unaffected by his own clumsiness.

"Well, maybe if you looked up from your stupid comics, you would notice that there are actually other people around you," Levi said sarcastically as he looked down, examining his shirt thoroughly to see if there was any stain of coffee.

"Yeah, well," the brunette turned his paper and pointed at a page with poorly drawn pictures, "It's just there's this amazing comic every Monday about this short soldier guy, who -"

"I don't care!" Levi yelled and looked up at the annoying man, "All I care about is getting to work without ruining my shirt, and you just spilled coffee on me!"

He pointed at something tiny and dark at his shirt, while sending the brunette a death-glare. The stranger bent down to look closer.

"That's not coffee," he said and pointed at Levi's chest with the coffee in his hand, "That's just -"

"Get that away from me!" Levi yelled and pushed the stranger away again.

"No, hang on, it's just -" the brunette insisted and pointed at Levi's shirt again.

"Don't touch me!" Levi cut him off, getting nervous every time the cup came too close to his white shirt.

"But if you'd just -"

"I said _don't touch me!_ " Levi snapped, waving his hands at the brunette and accidentally knocking the cup out of his hand. The hot liquid burned his skin, but he was too shocked and pissed off to react. He looked down at his expensive clothes - now covered in café latte - with wide eyes. This couldn't be happening, not on his first day, not when he had already wasted so much time standing in the line. He looked up at the taller man, who hid his mouth behind the folded newspaper, while his green eyes shone with suppressed amusement.

"What's wrong with you?" Levi yelled angrily, "Are you some sort of sadistic ass, who's just here to shit all over my day? Get away from me!"

"I'm terribly sorry, darling," the stranger said, still trying to hide his amusement behind the newspaper. "Hey, coffee-lady!" he yelled back over his shoulder and slammed his hand against the counter. The costumer about to place his order looked at the brunette, shocked by his outburst, but didn't say anything. "Can we get some paper-towels over here? Oh, and a new latte."

"I can do that myself, don't touch me!" Levi hissed and ripped the paper-towels out of the stranger's hand as he tried to wipe some coffee away from the soaked shirt.

"Did you want anything, love?" the brunette asked, while studying Levi with an amused smirk.

"What?" Levi looked up at him with a mix of confusion and disbelief in his eyes.

"Coffee, did you want anything?"

"No!" Levi yelled and slammed the soaked towels at the floor, "I just want you to leave me alone, you annoying shit-stain! You've ruined my morning _and_ my shirt, I don't need my coffee to be ruined too by your -" He cut himself off as he suddenly remembered he had somewhere to be, and he looked at his watch again, "Shit!"

"Here," the brunette scribbled something down on a side of his newspaper and ripped it off before handing it over to Levi, "Call me later, and I'll make sure to replace your shirt. And take you out as an apology."

Levi took the paper and looked up at the stranger as he winked and sent him a bright, charming smile. A dark frown settled on Levi's face as he crumpled the paper and threw it right back at the brunette's face, before turning around and leaving the coffee-shop.

He went straight back to his home, ignoring the curious looks he got as he ran down the streets. He knew he would be late, but he couldn't show up with a stained shirt.

As he entered the apartment, he was met with a confused look from his room-mate. Levi slammed the door behind him and walked right past Erd without saying a word.

"What happened to you?" the blonde asked and got up from the couch to follow Levi to his room.

"I don't want to talk about it," Levi mumbled and freed himself from his soiled clothes.

"Aren't you late for your first day?"

"Yes!" Levi yelled and turned around to look at his friend, "Yes, I'm extremely fucking late, but some psychopath at the coffee-shop decided to give me a shower in his fresh-made caramel latte, and I will much rather be late than show up in a fancy restaurant marinated in coffee!"

Erd tried to look sympathetic, but a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Shit, I smell like those nasty cheap ice-coffees from 7-Eleven. Do you think I've got time for a quick shower?" Levi asked as he threw the dirty shirt away and went through his closet to find a fresh one.

"You're supposed to be there in 30 minutes," Erd stated after checking his phone. He went back to the living-room to grab his mug and returned to Levi's room. He leaned against the door-frame studying his friend as Levi pulled out all his shirts one after another.

"Do you have an ironed shirt I can borrow?" Levi asked and turned around as he realized all his own shirts were not.

"Yeah, but I was actually going to use it myself today, 'cause I'm going out with this cute -"

"Thanks!" Levi cut him off, and pushed past the blonde. He took a sip of his coffee and handed the mug back, before entering Erd's room and grabbing the white shirt hanging from his door. He went straight to the bathroom and closed the door. After trying to wash off the coffee-smell, he pulled on the shirt and looked at himself in the mirror; it was way too big, and made him look like a school-boy. At least it was clean. He tugged it into his pants and tried to not make it look like he wore a doughnut around his hips. 

"You're late!" Erd yelled from the living-room, and Levi looked at his watch before leaving the bathroom. He ran through the apartment and barely managed to hear Erd wishing him good luck with his mouth full of cornflakes, before he slammed the door.

 

* * *

 

"It's not really a good sign to be late at your first day."

There he was; the great chef, Erwin Smith. The boss at this particular restaurant, same status as Riko Brzenska and Nile Dok, who were running the other two restaurants in the Phoenix-chain. All three of them were well-acknowledged chefs, working just beneath Darius Zackly, the owner and boss of it all. Even though Levi had just graduated from one of the top culinary schools, he had been lucky enough to land a job in this old chain restaurants. Levi was talented and ambitious, but that wasn't usually enough to get into the Phoenix-chain.

"I'm sorry, sir, it won't happen again," Levi said while trying to stay calm. Inside he was close to planning out the murder of the stupid asshole who had spilled coffee at him and whose fault it was that he was about to get fired before even reaching the kitchen.

The expression on Erwin's face suddenly changed to something much more friendly, almost childishly playful. He hid his mouth behind the back of his hand, as he tried to choke a laugh.

"Don't be so serious, it's not like the restaurant will close down just because you were 30 minutes late," Erwin smiled and patted Levi on the shoulder, "And just call me Erwin. We try not to be too formal here."

Levi looked up at Erwin with a puzzled expression. He wasn't sure if he was serious. Levi had been prepared to work hard under this sharp and - from what he had heard – skillful chef, and now he was patting him friendly on the back and asking him to call him by his first name.

"Thank you," he said hesitantly, and followed Erwin as he wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him into the restaurant.

It was still early in the day, and only a few waiters and cleaning-ladies were in there. Levi noticed how slow yet thoroughly they worked on getting ready to open the restaurant a few hours later, just in time for the late-lunch customers.

"But seriously, Levi, you could have called to let me know you were late," Erwin continued as he showed Levi around in the large restaurant.

"I don't have the restaurant’s number," Levi said, still a little taken aback by Erwin's not very boss-like personality.

"Oh, that makes it a bit difficult, doesn't it?" Erwin exclaimed and let out a loud laugh. "Sasha!" he snapped his fingers at another staff-member who had just walked through the door, "Great timing! Could you bring me a phone-list for Levi? And a cup of coffee -" he looked down at Levi "Do you want coffee?"

"Ehh, yes ... please," Levi answered and looked back at the obviously annoyed girl, who looked like she would have preferred to at least change to her working clothes before getting ordered around.

"Two cups of coffee! Please bring them to my office," Erwin yelled back at Sasha, who just nodded and rolled her eyes as soon as Erwin turned away.

"Is she your assistant?" Levi asked as Erwin showed him to his office, and let him enter the small room. It was extremely simple, with only a desk, two chairs, a couch and a couple of shelves and drawers under the windows.

"Sasha? No, she's a chef," Erwin answered and sat down at the couch, "She's just really good at making coffee. You'll see for yourself in a bit."

Levi cocked his eyebrow; he couldn't believe a chef would agree on making and bringing coffee like that, and Erwin really didn't seem to think it was his own job to get his coffee. In the short amount of time Levi had spend in the restaurant, he was surprised at how different it was from what he had imagined. Erwin seemed very casual and laid back, yet the staff didn't seem like they really enjoyed working there.

Levi made the mistake of complimenting Erwin for the way he had decorated his office, and the blonde started telling about how his wife had picked out the different pieces for him to give him the best surroundings to work in. While telling everything about the couch they were sitting on, Sasha entered the office with two mugs and a frown. Levi studied her lazy attitude, while Erwin didn't really seem to notice her, until she was on her way out again.

"Hey hey hey, not so fast," the blonde said and took a sip of his coffee, while Sasha turned around to look at him again, "Mmh, this is really good! Anyway, did you get the phone-list for Levi?"

"Yeah," Sasha mumbled and pulled a piece of paper out of her back-pocket. She handed it over to Levi without another word and left the office.

"Well, Levi," Erwin said and turned to face the shorter man on the couch, "It's no secret we're a bit desperate to get back on our feet. Normally we wouldn't hire someone as new as you in the middle of a crisis, but we really need to think out of the box here."

"I've heard it's been going downhill lately," Levi stated and took a sip of his own coffee. Erwin was right, Sasha _was_ really good at making coffee.

"Yes, the Phoenix-restaurants are not what they used to be," Erwin nodded, but didn't exactly seem affected by it, "And mine is particularly unpopular, for some reason." Erwin let out a loud laugh and scratched his neck. Levi noticed the hidden nervousness in his laugh, but put up a fake laugh to get on the good side of his new boss.

"No, seriously," Erwin continued and let out one last laugh, "I assume you know I hired you for a very special job. You're not _only_ going to work as a chef, you're going to be my assistant as well. I don't want to scare the rest of my staff by telling them how close we are to closing the restaurant for good, but I need someone who knows what's going on."

Levi nodded, and made a mental note for himself not to talk to the rest of the staff about it.

"We need something fresh, something new. I don't really care much for completely new chefs like you, young people really don't know what it means to have a real job -" Levi raised his eyebrow again, but it didn't seem like Erwin noticed he had just insulted him and every other young chef. "- but the teachers at your school seemed very fond of you. They told me you are very talented and hard-working, and one of them even mentioned your -"

"So!" Levi cut him off as he realized this would be an awful long conversation if Erwin was going to keep up like this, "What will my job consist of then?"

"Oh, right," Erwin said and sent Levi a bright smile, "You will work as any other chef at night, but you will have to come earlier than the others to help me plan everything out and do whatever it takes to save the restaurant. If you manage to help save it, I can promise you a prestigious job that would normally take people years to achieve."

"I like the sound of that," Levi stated, as a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Will you be able to handle the responsibility?" Erwin asked and emptied his mug.

"I'll do my very best," Levi answered and sent Erwin a cooperative smile.

"I'll give you one month," Erwin said as his face turned a bit more serious, "If our reputation gets better within that month, you can stay, but if not, I can't afford to keep you."

"I understand," Levi nodded and emptied his own mug, "But I really think I can add something to the restaurant, and I'll do my best to help you out."

"Well then!" Erwin beamed and patted Levi on the back, "Let's get you a jacket and an apron then, and let me show you the kitchen."

Erwin showed Levi to the basement of the building, where the dressing-rooms were placed along with the storage-room for all the extra clothes for the staff. It took some time, but he finally found a pair of jackets in Levi's size and he handed over a navy-coloured apron for him to wear while cooking.

Levi spent the rest of the afternoon learning about the different recipes on the menu; he had never really been very good at preparing desserts and sweets, but the rest of the dishes came naturally to him, and after showing Erwin what he was made of, the boss decided to put him right into the kitchen as soon as the dinner-guests started to arrive. As more chefs met in, he got to say hi to Erwin's entire kitchen-crew. Most of them seemed nice yet awfully unmotivated. Levi would have to talk to Erwin about the bored attitude most of the staff had, and he made it his first accomplishment to change the minds of his new co-workers.

As the evening slowly set, Levi felt pretty good while assisting Erwin, Sasha and the other chefs. He had almost forgotten about his unfortunate event this morning; his mind was occupied with whiskey-sauce and beef tenderloin, while paying attention to the other people in the kitchen. Erwin constantly called him over, asking him to take over his work before heading on to do some other task. Levi wasn't sure if Erwin was testing him, or if he really was so absent-minded and easily distracted.

"Erwin," a tall waiter called through the kitchen, just as Levi was about to take over the preparation for a pasta-dish, and both chefs looked up, as the tall guy approached them.

"Jean, this is Levi, our new chef," Erwin smiled brightly and patted Levi on the back.

"Hi," Jean said and sent Levi a shy smile, "Erwin, we have a problem."

"Jean is pretty new here too, I hired him two months ago," Erwin said to Levi, completely ignoring Jean who obviously had something important to say, "I was hoping a young, tall waiter would attract the young girls, but I guess that doesn't really work when he's gay."

Erwin let out a loud laugh and slapped Jean on the back, nearly sending him head-first into the large pot with pasta-sauce.

"Erwin, it's really important!" Jean tried again and looked at Levi, begging for assistance.

"We ran out of the good red-wine?" Erwin asked horrified, as he finally understood that Jean actually had something to say.

"No, that's not it -"

"Oh, good, 'cause I'm telling you, it's only a matter of time before -"

"Eren Jaeger is here!" Jean yelled out, before Erwin became completely absorbed in his own thoughts again. The kitchen went silent for a moment; the only sounds heard were those of the food simmering in the pots and pans.

Erwin let out a nervous laughter; it looked like he couldn't believe his own ears, or at least clung to the hope of Jean just making a joke.

"What did you say?" Erwin asked, as the smile on his face grew more and more tense.

"Eren Jaeger is here - in the restaurant," Jean repeated as he lowered his voice, "He just went through the door and asked for a single-table. He even made sure I knew who he was. There's no doubt it's him." Jean paused to let Erwin respond, but for once, Erwin was completely silent. "He told me to let you know he's here, and said _'if the food is as horrible as the last time I sat my feet in this restaurant, I'll make sure to get it closed down for good this time'._ What should I do?"

"Let's just calm down for a moment," Erwin said and sent his staff a smile that seemed more upset than calming, "We'll figure something out. We just need to... Someone, hand me a smoke!"

Levi tried not to burn the food while still trying to figure out what was going on. Erwin placed a big pot on the floor and sat down, obviously trying to hide his frustration while coming up with a plan.

"Erwin," Jean said again, desperate for instructions.

"Hand me a smoke, goddamn it!"

"I don't think it's wise to smoke in here," Levi said calmly and poured the pasta into two plates. He handed them over to Jean and sent him back into the restaurant.

"What have I done to deserve this?" Erwin hissed to himself and lit the cigarette Sasha had handed over to him, "He was just here a few weeks ago, that asshole. And it doesn't even matter what I serve for him, he'll hate it no matter what."

"Who's Eren Jaeger?" Levi asked and knelt down in front of his boss.

" _Who's_ Eren Jaeger?" Erwin repeated and looked up at Levi with desperate eyes and a twisted smile on his lips, "He's one of the most well-acknowledged food-critics right now, and one hell of a journalist. He always _always_ manages to dig out shit about restaurants, and for some reason he really hates the Phoenix-chain."

"What's he doing here if he hates the food?" Levi asked with a puzzled look on his face. He had been prepared for a life as a chef through his studies, but this made no sense to him.

"He doesn't hate the food. He hates absolutely _everything_ about Phoenix," Erwin said and took a long drag of the cigarette, "This is so frustrating."

Levi got back on his feet as Jean returned to the kitchen, obviously hoping Erwin was ready to give the orders. Jean looked desperate as he saw Erwin on the floor, pulsing away on the cigarette and trying to reach a bottle of red wine on one of the counters.

"What am I going to do?" Jean cried and buried his face in his hands.

"Can't someone else prepare his goddamn meal?" Levi asked, annoyed by the lack of control in the kitchen, "I mean, he's just a man for Christ's sake, he can't be that bad."

"You're right," Erwin said and looked up with new-found happiness, "You do it!"

"What?" Levi asked and sent his boss a confused look as the blonde got back on his feet.

"You can cook for him! Oh, Levi, this is perfect. I mean, this is a great way for me to see if I made the right choice by hiring you. If you manage to fuck up, no one can really complain since you're so young and all," Erwin's eyes shone and it was obvious he thought of himself as a genius. Levi decided to let the insult go again, since it really wasn't the time to argue about 'young people'.

"Erwin, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Levi said, trying to get his boss back down to earth before he went completely insane.

"I think I'm better at spotting a good idea than you are, _I'm_ the boss after all," Erwin laughed and clapped his hands. Jean just had a confused look on his face as he looked from Erwin to Levi.

"A young chef is not an excuse for not serving perfect food," Levi insisted, even though he believed he would be able to prepare almost any dish to perfection, "Besides, isn't that why _you_ are here? To make sure new chefs don't make mistakes?"

"Now that you mention it -" Erwin said and looked thoughtful for a moment. Levi thought he had finally knocked some sense into the blonde's head, when Erwin continued; "- I actually think I have a business-meeting with Riko at her restaurant."

"What?" the rest of the kitchen-staff turned around to look at their boss.

"It'll be fine," Erwin ensured them, "I'll leave it to you to guide Levi through the night, and just - you know, take care of things. You're all very skilful chefs, I think you can manage without me for one night."

"Erwin -"

"And if I leave now, I can probably order more of that good red wine before the office closes," Erwin pulled off his apron and threw it on a crook by the back-door, "I knew I could trust you, Levi, show me what you've got!"

Levi and Jean stared after Erwin as he left the kitchen with the bottle of red wine in his hand. The rest of the chefs made sure to look extremely busy all of a sudden; none of them wanted to have anything to do with the feared food-critic out there.

"Holy fucking shit," Levi breathed and tried to keep himself calm. He had to pinch himself to make sure he was awake. How could Erwin place such a huge responsibility on his shoulders on his first day? And none of his co-workers seemed to care to lend him a hand.

"Oh my god, we're dead," Jean whispered and buried his face in his hands again.

"No, hang on," Levi said and pulled Jean's hands away, "If we want to succeed, I'm gonna need your help! Go take his order, send him a bottle of his preferred wine - just whatever he wants - tell him it's from the chef, and make sure to keep the drinks coming at his table. Just keep him happy and distracted, and then _I'll_ make sure to get his meal done."  
  
"Okay," Jean gulped, "Okay, I can do that. I can - oh god, please don't take too long, I can't deal with him all alone."

"Go!" Levi yelled and pushed Jean away before he would start crying again. He felt a bit betrayed by Erwin chickening out like that, but this was his chance to prove himself. If he managed to impress this Eren Jaeger, then he was sure to keep his job here. He wasn't afraid of a food-critic. He knew what he was doing, and he knew he was good at it.

Jean returned once again a few minutes later with Eren Jaeger's orders. Levi studied the recipes thoroughly to figure out the critic's taste, just to make sure he could give him exactly what he wanted.

Levi prepared a grilled tuna steak on a salad of sweet tomatoes and onions and gave it an extra squint of olive oil before sending Jean back out with the dish. As soon as the waiter was out of the kitchen, Levi took a deep breath. He allowed himself to take a short break, as it seemed like the other chefs had decided to take care of the rest of the guests, as long as Levi took care of Eren Jaeger.

Now that he had a few minutes to breath, he suddenly noticed how nervous he was. If he really fucked up, he would give this critic a good reason to close the restaurant down; everything rested on his shoulders right now. On the other hand, he had taken this job to get responsibility, and it would be a shame to say he didn't get exactly what he wanted. And probably a little more.

Levi slowly started preparing the main-course, just to keep himself occupied. Jean returned to the kitchen shortly after, just to tell Levi that Eren Jaeger hadn't spit out the food, which he believed was a good sign. Levi thanked him for the update and sent him back out with a bottle of red wine.

Jean seemed much more relaxed as he came back a little later with half of the plate untouched, and Levi frowned at the waste of great food. He sent the waiter back out a little later with a pasta-dish with tenderloin tips, spring onion and Madagascar pepper in a creamy sauce made on white wine. Luckily Eren Jaeger hadn't ordered any dessert, so Levi wouldn't be able to ruin it all. If this Eren Jaeger didn't hate his dishes already, that was.

As the main-course left the kitchen, Levi sat down at the pot Erwin had placed on the floor earlier in the evening. The pressure had worn him out, and he knew it was completely out of his hands now. He had done the best he could and he could only wait for the judgement. Sasha walked over and offered him a cigarette, but Levi declined and took a glass of white wine instead.

The kitchen was as quiet as it could be, while all of them waited for Jean to come back with either a full plate or very good news. His co-workers minded their own posts, but most of their attention was pointed at the door to the restaurant.

Everybody looked up as Jean entered the kitchen again with a dead expression on his face. Levi bit his lip and noticed how fast his heart was beating now. It felt like it took forever for Jean to get to the counter. Levi got up and emptied his glass as Jean stopped in front of him.

"Well?" Levi asked, ready to take the hit and go back home, fired on his first day.

"He wants to talk to the chef," Jean mumbled and looked at Levi like he had just doomed him to his death.

"Me?" Levi gasped in shock, "Why? What does he want to say?"  
  
"I don't know, he said he wanted to talk to the chef," Jean answered and pushed Levi towards the door, "Please go talk to him, I can't handle any more of his snide comments."

"Fine, fine!" Levi hissed and sent Jean a frustrated look as he pushed the waiter's hands away. He walked over to the exit and looked out at the restaurant through the portholes in the door. "Where is he?"

"Over there by the window," Jean answered and pointed through the hole in the other door.

Levi followed his finger; as soon as he spotted the critic, he duck his head as their eyes met across the restaurant.

"No, hell _fucking_ no, I'm not going out there," he hissed and backed away from the door.

"You have to!"

"No, you don't understand," Levi said and sent a nervous look towards the door, "That man is the reason I was late today. I bumped into him at a coffee-shop and he spilled latte all over my shirt and I yelled at him, called him an asshole and threw a newspaper after him. I can't let him see me here."

"I don't think he'll recognize you, people probably call him an asshole all the time," Jean said and gave Levi an encouraging smile.

Levi looked at him in disbelief for a moment. It was one thing to have to cook for a feared food-critic on his first day at work, but the fact that he had to behave nicely in front of the most annoying man he had met in a really long time, was more than he could handle. Jean's smile looked more and more desperate as he tried to convince Levi that Eren Jaeger wouldn't be able to remember him.

"Okay, fine," Levi said at last and went back to the door again. He made sure his apron wasn't too dirty before walking into the restaurant. He smiled politely at the few dinner-guests and was surprised by how unpopular the restaurant had become since he was here as a child.

"You wanted to see me?" Levi asked coldly as he approached Eren Jaeger's table. He tried not to look at the brunette, as he felt the anger and frustration over their encounter this morning boil up again.

"To think I would run into you twice in one day," Eren said and sent the chef a smug smile, "Lucky me."

Levi forgot to breathe for a moment, as he was completely taken aback by the bold comment. Most of all he just wanted to grab the bottle of red wine and empty it over Eren's head. But he was at work now, and he had to act like a professional.

"You wanted to see me?" Levi repeated, pretending he hadn't heard the flirty comment.

"Yeah, that's why I gave you my number, but I didn't expect to see you again after you threw it right back at my face," Eren smirked and leaned back in his seat to get a proper look at Levi. Levi felt his cheeks turn a little warmer, but he told himself it was from anger and nothing else. Eren acted completely shameless as he looked Levi up and down, and Levi swallowed hard.

"You asked to talk to the chef, I mean," he corrected himself, and ignored Eren's eyes as they wandered all over his body.

"Oh, right," Eren said and straightened his back, "You know, darling, I really can't remember what I wanted to say."

"Oh," Levi just said, hoping this was his keyword to get the fuck back to the kitchen and away from this awkward situation and Eren's stupid pet-names.

"Why don't you go out with me tomorrow, and I'll try to remember it in the meantime?" Eren asked and sent Levi another bright smile.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Levi said and straightened his jacket to keep his hands occupied. He would give anything to get away. "If you don't remember what you wanted to say, then I'll just head back to the kitchen."

"You're new here, aren't you?" As he changed the subject, Eren locked eyes with Levi. The smile never left his eyes and he nodded towards the empty seat across from him, hinting for Levi to sit down.

"Yes," Levi answered short, and ignored Eren's attempt to get him to join him.

"Sit down, have a glass of wine," Eren said and poured Levi a glass before he could manage to refuse.

"No, I'm at work," Levi declined coldly, and looked away as Eren placed the glass in front of him.

"How come Erwin pushed such a big responsibility upon a new chef?" Eren asked, and ignored Levi's comment. He lifted up the glass in front of Levi, and refused to let him go before he had taken it.

"Erwin is not here tonight," Levi murmured and took the glass.

"Oh, really?" Eren asked interested and took a sip of his own glass, "So the leader of the most exposed restaurant in the Phoenix-chain simply leaves the kitchen at dinner-time and lets a completely new chef handle a picky food-critic all alone?" He leaned back with a smug smile and nodded for himself, "That's an interesting way of handling bankruptcy."

"If you enjoyed the meal, then I really don't see the problem," Levi stated, not able to hide the annoyance in his voice any more.

Eren looked down at the almost empty plate in front of him. He looked like he thought about Levi's statement for a moment before looking up at him again with another smile.

"Yeah, I guess I've had worse," he said teasingly and winked at the chef. Levi felt his cheeks turn warmer again, and he sent Eren an angry glare. "But it doesn't seem very serious, seeing that Erwin should be working a bit harder to avoid closing down for good."

"He hired me to assist him on that matter, so I don't really see the big problem here," Levi said and send the brunette a sharp look, "And I don't care that you're able to scare the living shit out of all my co-workers. To me you're a customer, just like all the other people in here."

Levi let a smug expression dance over his face as he saw Eren turn silent for a moment, but then he let out a low laugh and sent Levi another charming smile.

"Is that so?" he asked and stood up, while still keeping the eye-contact, "Well, you're _definitely_ not just another chef to me."

Levi's eyes widened as Eren grabbed the wine-glass in his hand, and leaned in to touch his chin with his free hand. As Eren showed off another charming smile, Levi panicked and pushed him away.

"Get away from me, you asshole!" he yelled and accidentally knocked the glass out of Eren's hand. The wine splashed all over his jacket and apron, soaking it in red liquid. Levi hid his mouth behind his hand, as he let out a shocked gasp.

Eren looked down at the red spot and then up at Levi again. His face was completely unreadable until an amused smile appeared on his face.

"Is there really no limit to the kinds of liquid you want me to spill all over you?" he asked and winked at Levi again. He grabbed his napkin and tried to soak up the wine from the drenched jacket.

Levi let out another sound, completely unable to form a sentence. His face was turning red from anger as he turned around and ran back to the kitchen before Eren could say more. Jean came back to the kitchen a moment later as Levi tried to soak up some of the spilled wine.

"He asked for you again," the waiter said, as he kept his distance just in case Levi was about to explode, "He said he wanted to apologize, and -"

"Tell him I'm not here!" Levi yelled and sent Jean a furious glare, "I don't care if he believes you or not, tell him I died of wine-poisoning for all I care, I don't want to look at his stupid face again!"

"I'll tell him you're busy," Jean said and left the kitchen as fast as he could.

Levi decided it was time to go home for the evening, and luckily no one dared to argue with him. Most of the staff had kept an eye on his conversation with Eren Jaeger, and if they felt sorry for him or just didn't want him to be around to cause more accidents, Levi didn't know. And right now, he just wanted to go back to his apartment and forget everything about this unfortunate day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The annoying food-critic seem to have messed with Levi’s head, but luckily he has his cousin Hanji, who he can always talk to. Back in the restaurant, Levi has a few surprises coming his way.

"Levi," Jean called across the large kitchen. All the chefs looked up as the tall waiter went over to the counter where Levi was chopping onions. "Eren Jaeger wants to see you."

"Again?" Levi sighed and placed the knife on the chopping board in front of him.

"Yes, he wants to have a word with you about the dish you just sent out," Jean answered calmly before turning away again.

Erwin took over Levi's task as Levi wiped his hands on his apron, and walked over to the door. He looked through the porthole in the door to the restaurant and spotted Eren right away. The food-critic was sitting at a small table in the corner; his green eyes shone in the dim light from the candle on his table, and sent Levi one of his usual charming smiles as he spotted him through the porthole.

Levi pulled off his apron and hung it on a crook by the door before walking through it into the restaurant. He went straight to Eren's table while never breaking the eye-contact.

"What is it this time?" he asked coldly as he stopped right next to the brunette.

"Apparently I need an excuse to see you, so here I am again," Eren smirked and turned in his seat to look directly up at Levi.

"Why do you want to see me?" Levi asked and looked down at Eren's eyes as they wandered up and down his body.

"I haven't apologized properly for spilling first coffee and then red wine all over you, baby," Eren answered in a flirting tone, and moved a bit closer to make sure only Levi could hear him. Levi studied Eren with an empty expression, as the brunette bit his lip teasingly and sent him another smile. "And I think I know exactly what kind of apology you want."

Levi let out a gasp as Eren let his hands slide up the front of his thighs. His arms felt heavy like lead, and he couldn't do anything but watch as Eren's hands slid up his inner-thighs. He could feel Eren's warm palms through his pants, and his thumbs rubbing the spot where his thighs met his groin.  
  
Levi parted his lips and let out a shaky breath as Eren's palms slowly closed in on his crotch. Eren's green eyes were locked with Levi's and he didn't dare to look away even though his cheeks were heating up.

Eren let a hand slide further up and grabbed Levi's dick through his pants. Levi gasped again as Eren began rubbing him roughly.  
  
Levi was sure he was dreaming, there was no way this could really be happening. He looked around wildly, searching for that _one_ odd thing that would confirm his suspicions; Jean's horse-head or Sasha's potato-hands, _anything_. However, much to Levi's confusion, he found nothing that seemed out of the ordinary.  
  
"What on earth are you doing?" Erwin yelled over Levi's shoulder as he looked down at Eren, "We don't allow that kind if behaviour, this is a respectable restaurant!"  
  
"It seems like your new chef enjoys it quite a lot though," Eren smirked as he gave Levi a hard squeeze through the pants. Levi's eyes widened as he looked from Eren to Erwin, unable to form a sentence or push Eren away.  
  
"Of course he doesn't," Erwin stated and looked down at Levi's crotch over his shoulder, "Levi only cares about his career. He hasn't had sex in three years."  
  
"That explains a lot," Eren stated with a nod, and looked up at Levi again as he kept rubbing him. Levi looked down at his crotch as the bulge kept growing and growing and growing and ... growing?  
  
Eren looked at Levi's crotch. "Impressive!" he exclaimed and -  
  
Levi woke up with a loud yelp as he fell off the couch. His eyes were wide open as he fumbled through the darkness to find a lamp. He accidentally knocked over a few things in the unfamiliar living-room before finally finding a switch to a lamp behind the couch. As the lamp illuminated the room, he sat back down at the floor again and rubbed his face. The dream was uncomfortably clear in his mind. What was wrong with him? He _hated_ Eren Jaeger - he had messed up his first day as a chef in more than one way - so why was he having that kind of dream about him?  
  
"Levi, what are you doing?" a hoarse voice sounded from the other end of the room, "Why aren't you asleep?"  
  
"Sorry if I woke you up," he said, ignoring her questions as Hanji looked at him from her bedroom. He was grateful she had agreed on letting him spend the night, but he always slept restlessly when he was anywhere but his own bed. Well, it was better than staying home when he knew Erd had a girl over.  
  
"It's okay," she answered and walked over to sit down on the couch. Her eyes were barely open behind the glasses, and her oversized nightshirt hang loosely around her shoulders. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I just had a -" he paused to think about what to call it. He couldn't really tell his cousin that he had a wet dream about a man he had come to hate so deeply over just one day. "A nightmare."  
  
"Maybe it's the couch," Hanji said, and yawned, "Leather is not exactly comfortable to sleep on."  
  
"No, I just had a really long day, that's all," Levi frowned. It was true, and it _had_ been a long day! It had been a bit of a shock to suddenly be responsible for Eren Jaeger's order. His head was just still shaken by it, otherwise he would of course never had dreamed something like that. Though it had been a little too realistic for his own taste.  
  
"You know what?" Hanji said and got up from the couch again, "I'll make us a cup of tea, and then you tell me about your day. It'll make it seem less chaotic if you put it into words."  
  
"Don't you have work tomorrow?" Levi asked, not really in the mood to talk about the restaurant, or the stupid food-critic for that matter, "Because _I_ do, and I'd like to get some rest before I have to deal with my boss and hours of cooking."  
  
"You already woke me up, so you better talk as soon as I come back with the tea," Hanji answered on her way to the kitchen, "And I'll just call the magazine and tell them I'll be late tomorrow. It's really not a problem."  
  
"Fine," Levi mumbled, more to himself than to Hanji. If he _had_ to talk to anyone, he would prefer it to be Hanji after all. They were very different, but she got him no matter how poorly he expressed himself. She understood what he wanted to say, and even if she didn't agree, she always respected his opinions. At least when it came to serious matters. It was no secret that she loved to tease him, but she would listen when he needed it. Not that he needed it right now - in fact, he didn't even want to say it out loud. If he could pretend Eren Jaeger didn't exists, that would make everything so much easier.  
  
Levi got up from the floor while Hanji was still in the kitchen, and went to the bathroom. He pulled his underwear down a bit to take a piss, and stared down at the toilet while emptying his bladder. The dream kept finding its way back to his consciousness and he got more and more frustrated every time he thought of Eren's hand on his crotch.  
  
He spat down into the toilet before flushing, and went to the sink to wash his hands. They worked on their own, rubbing the soap roughly between his palms and in between his fingers, while he studied himself in the mirror. Tired and slightly frustrated grey eyes stared back at him.  
  
"Why did it have to be him?" he hissed and cocked his head to study his jawline, "Of all people I could dream about, why _him?_ "  
  
 _"Because you're horny, obviously,"_ his reflection answered as he studied his tired eyes.  
  
"I am not," Levi growled and shut off the water.  
  
"Levi, are you talking to yourself again?" Hanji yelled from the other side of the door.  
  
"No, I'm having a long and deep conversation with the huge dump I just took! What do you think?" Levi yelled sarcastically, and grabbed the pink towel next to the sink.  
  
"Just making sure you weren't talking to me," she yelled back, "and the tea is ready."  
  
"Well, maybe I _should_ start talking to my own shit," Levi mumbled while throwing the towel back on its crook. "Then maybe I wouldn't have to talk to you," he added and sent himself a dark look through the mirror.  
  
 _"At least you have something nice to look at when you talk to me,"_ his reflection replied before Levi turned his back to the mirror and went back to the living-room.  
  
Hanji had turned on a few candles on the coffee-table and was now sitting on the couch under a blanket. She sent him a kind smile as he sat down in the other end of the couch and pulled her blanket over his legs.  
  
"What's nagging you?" Hanji asked and pulled the blanket all the way up to her shoulders so only her head was showing.

Levi took a deep breath, gathering all the events of the day in his mind, before expelling it all in one large serving.  
  
"I just had a rough first day at work. My boss suddenly had a meeting during the night-shift and left just after some asshole of a food-critic walked into the restaurant, and everybody had a panic attack." The bitterness and sarcasm dripped from Levi's tone, but he knew Hanji wouldn't mind him bitching.  
  
"So your boss is a wuss," Hanji stated and stuck a hand out from the blanket to grab her mug.  
  
"I can't really say that yet," Levi said, thinking that he didn't really want to label Erwin after just one day. He had to keep his motivation high and do his best to keep his job. It would look good on his resume. "Maybe he's just a bit stressed out from all the bad publicity - I don't know."  
  
Levi took a sip of his own tea, and looked up at Hanji who studied him as he spoke. The fire from the candles reflected in her glasses, but he knew she was looking at him.  
  
"Anyway, I ended up dealing with the food-critic and he turned out to be the same guy who had ruined my morning by spilling coffee all over me - and apparently once wasn't enough, 'cause he spilled a glass of wine all over my jacket in the middle of the fucking restaurant."  
  
"On purpose?" Hanji asked as her eyes widened a bit over the edge of the mug.  
  
"I fucking hope not!" Levi raised his voice a bit as Eren Jaeger's annoying smirk slid into his mind again, "Though the asshole seemed a bit too amused about it, if you ask me."  
  
"Didn't he apologize?"  
  
"I don't remember, I was so furious," Levi paused as he took another sip of his tea. As the hot liquid ran through his system, he started to relax. "I just hope that Jaeger guy will stay away from the restaurant from now on."  
  
"Jaeger? As in _Eren_ Jaeger?" Hanji asked as a grin spread across her face, "Eren Jaeger spilled coffee over you?"

"And red wine!" Levi added, eyes widened, before a puzzled expression crossed his face as he noticed Hanji trying to hold back a laugh, "What? Do you know him?"  
  
" _Do I know him?_ We're colleagues," Hanji explained and as she tried to muffle a chuckle behind the back of her hand, "He works at the same magazine as I do! Well, he's obviously in charge of the food-section while I write about events and concerts, but yeah, I know him!"  
  
Levi looked at her in shock. How could he have gone through his entire life without hearing anything about Eren, and suddenly he was invading his life from all sides - in his coffee-shop, his job and now his cousin apparently worked on the same magazine as he did. Hopefully he would just be a passing nuisance and disappear from Levi's world as fast as he had entered it.  
  
"Please tell me you're not friends with him," Levi begged as he sent Hanji a tired look.  
  
"No, I don't know him that well," Hanji reassured and sent Levi a comforting smile, though she had trouble hiding her amusement, "We've talked over a cup of coffee, but nothing serious. He's kinda cute, but I think he's gay."  
  
"He is," Levi sighed before taking another sip of his tea. He noticed Hanji's questioning glance by his confirmation, and he continued; "He asked me out with him as an apology." He considered telling Hanji about the annoying pet-names, but decided not to give her another excuse to tease him.  
  
"Well?" she asked as she raised her eyebrows a bit.  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"You said yes, right?"  
  
"No!" Levi exclaimed and placed his mug on the coffee-table with a low thud, "I hate that asshole, why would I go out with him?"  
  
"Well, mainly because you haven't had a boyfriend in like a hundred years, and I don't think Eren Jaeger is a bad catch," Hanji said and sent Levi another wide smile.  
  
"I _don't_ need a boyfriend, I have an affair with my career," Levi snorted and cocked his eyebrow, "And Eren Jaeger is probably the last person I would consider dating. He's an annoying and smug asshole who gets on my nerves by his mere presence. And he only ate half of his tuna-steak!"  
  
Hanji let out a giggle; if there was anything Levi hated - well, aside from dirt and wasting his time - it was people who wasted good food. She knew Levi was right about Eren being smug and a lot of people had called him an asshole, but she also knew he notorious for his charming attitude and his good looks. With an age of 27, he was the youngest head of section on the magazine, and even though he rarely ever placed his feet in the building, he always managed to reach the deadlines on time. The other journalists in the food-section seemed fond of him too. From what Hanji had heard, Eren Jaeger was simply one of those fascinating people, who were just naturally talented.  
  
Hanji knew almost everything about everyone at the magazine; she was a sucker for gossip and was often the first to get the juicy news. But Eren Jaeger was a mystery to her. He was outgoing and very talkative, yet no one had much to say about him.  
  
"You know, Hanji," Levi said and rubbed his eyes again, "I don't really feel like talking about Eren Jaeger any more. He pisses me off, and I don't want to waste more time on him. Hopefully he won't come back to the restaurant for a long time, and I might actually be able to keep my job."  
  
Hanji considered telling Levi that she had heard a little bird sing about Eren Jaeger's mission on getting the Phoenix-chain closed down for good, but she decided now wasn't the right time. Levi finally seemed to relax, and he probably wouldn't be able to sleep all night if she told him, that he would possibly cross paths with Eren regularly as long as he worked at Phoenix.  
  
"Thank you for letting me sleep here," Levi murmured as his eyelids grew heavier after drinking the last sip of his tea.  
  
"You know you're always welcome here," Hanji smiled and leaned in to wrap the blanket closer around her cousin.  
  
"Thanks, but I can't really stay here every time Erd gets a visit from his little girlfriend," Levi grumbled and let a deep sight escape his lips as he looked at Hanji.  
  
"So Erd is back together with The Screamer?" Hanji asked and rested her head against the back of the couch.  
  
"I'm not sure, I didn't see her," Levi answered in a dull tone, "But I sure as hell heard her!" He paused as both of them let out a tired laugh. The Screamer was a nickname Hanji and Levi had given Erd's ex-girlfriend for obvious reasons. Both of them remembered a little too well the last time Erd was dating her. "I can't sleep there if she starts visiting him regularly again. It wasn't really a problem back when I didn't have a job, but I can't afford to oversleep now," Levi continued and sent Hanji a frustrated look. After such a long day, he had been more than a little pissed off to come home to realize he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep there.  
  
"Maybe you should look for another place to live," Hanji said and yawned, "I'll help you look, if you want."  
  
"I have to wait until I find out if I can stay at Phoenix," Levi frowned, "The salary is pretty damn good, but there's no use finding a new apartment if I can't afford to keep it."  
  
"Then talk to Erd about it and stay here for the next month if you need to. I know it's further away from the restaurant, but at least you know I never drag guys back here."  
  
"And you're telling _me_ to get a boyfriend," Levi huffed and sent her a tired smirk.  
  
"Unlike you, I actually have sex," Hanji stated and sent him a cocky glance, "I just choose not to let them into my bedroom. I prefer to sleep in clean sheets that don't smell like some guy."  
  
"Fair enough." Levi could understand her completely; he definitely preferred clean sheets as well.  
  
"As soon as you get more used to your job, we'll start looking for a new apartment for you, okay?" Hanji smiled before emptying her mug.  
  
"Yeah, okay. Thanks."  
  
Hanji patted Levi's shoulder and sent him another gentle smile, as she got up from the couch. Levi slid down, ready to go back to sleep. Hanji blew out the candles and turned off the light before returning to her bedroom. As Levi dozed off - completely forgetting everything about his disturbing dream - Hanji called out for him from the bedroom.  
  
"Mh?" Levi grunted, not really sure if he was dreaming.  
  
"Can you remember her name?" Hanji called back.  
  
"Who?" Levi yawned as he turned on the couch.  
  
"The Screamer - do you remember her real name?"  
  
"I don't think I ever heard it," Levi snickered, and he could hear Hanji's tired giggle from the bedroom as he finally fell asleep again.  


* * *

  
The next morning Levi made sure to find another place to buy his morning-coffee; Hanji had mentioned a small coffee-shop around the corner, and as he walked through the door to the store, he was happy to see there were no other customers. Shortly after he realized why, as the coffee was almost undrinkable. He sipped down as much as he could force himself to before throwing away the rest, and promising himself to find a proper place to get his very needed caffeine.

  
He had no idea what to expect when he showed up at Phoenix, but he knew it was out of his hands, and for some reason it felt calming. He had done his very best when he served for Eren Jaeger, and if he was lucky, the accident with the red wine would make the food-critic go easy on him. If he was unlucky, the fact that he had called Eren an asshole in the middle of the restaurant would provoke him to go extra hard on them.  
  
The restaurant was quiet as he went through the door. Erwin was standing by the bar and talking to Jean and two other waiters, but he left them as soon as he spotted Levi. Levi barely got the chance to greet him before his boss had grabbed his arm and dragged him towards his office.  
  
"What happened last night?" Erwin asked and looked down at Levi with an upset expression.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Erwin, I let my temper get the best of me," Levi apologized, as he had guessed he had provoked something bad, "I tried to stay calm but he was just so... so..." he trailed off as Erwin dragged him into his office and pulled up a newspaper from his desk. He held it up in front of Levi who took it to get a better look. "What is this?"

"That's Eren Jaeger's weekly column about restaurants," Erwin said in a tone as if he talked to a child.

"But I thought he worked at Culture & Living Magazine?" Levi asked, since he now knew Eren worked at the same magazine as Hanji.

"The asshole works a million places - that doesn't matter right now!" Erwin cut himself off, "What I'd like to know is why he's writing _this?_ " The blonde pointed at the middle of the column and Levi followed his finger.

_'The Phoenix-chain is as boring and uninteresting as ever, and it seems like their customers are finally starting to figure that out. As I visited a restaurant in the close-to-bankruptcy chain, I discovered that not only were most of the tables empty during most of the night, but the staff seems to ignore the fact that it takes good service to hold onto the few guests they have left. I believe that the person in charge, Erwin Smith, has realized the way his restaurant is going, since he finally hired someone who could actually prepare a decent meal - but probably a little too late?'_

"Well?" Erwin asked as Levi looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"I don't understand what you want me to say," Levi answered after searching his boss' face for a lead.

"How am I going to explain this to Darius Zackly? You told me you could handle the responsibility, yet this is far from a good review," Erwin said, more desperate than angry. Levi didn't really remember saying he could handle anything last night, but pointing that out would probably get him fired. He looked down at the review under Eren Jaeger's annoying face and thought for a moment, while Erwin wandered back and forth in his office, letting out one frustrated sound after another.

"Maybe we can turn this around and use it as something positive," Levi proposed as he re-read the obvious hint to his own cooking. Erwin stopped to look at him with a dumbfounded expression, and Levi continued; "Look, he mentions my food as a _decent meal_."

"Yeah, well, that's mighty good for you," Erwin said sarcastically and rolled his eyes, "Maybe you can write that on your resume for your next job-interview, 'cause we won't survive another bad review!"

"No, use it to boost the plan about changing the restaurant. You know, let it slip out that you're planning on spicing the restaurant up a bit and use completely new ideas," Levi elaborated and sent Erwin a questioning look to see if he followed him.

"But we have no such plan," he said with a blank look in his eyes.

"You do now!" Levi said and handed the newspaper back to his boss, "That's really the only way to turn this into something positive. If the food-magazines get a hint of this, it will set Eren Jaeger's bad reviews on standby and people will probably get curious."

Erwin studied Levi for a moment, before turning away again.

"I don't know, Levi, it's risky - and I need to get Darius Zackly's acceptance before we can do anything like that," he said in a defeated tone.

"Isn't this what you hired me to do?" Levi asked sharply. He sure as hell knew it was risky, but it was the only way to turn things around at this point. For some reason, Eren Jaeger had decided to compliment his food in his column, and they had to take advantage of that.

"You know what?" Erwin said and turned to face Levi again, "I'll arrange a meeting between you, me and Darius Zackly, and you can propose your ideas for him. I suggest you write down a more specific plan for what you think could be done to the restaurant, and then we'll see what he thinks."

"Okay," Levi said, feeling the hope slowly starting to grow in him. This was an amazing opportunity and he was going to work hard to make a brilliant presentation, "Yeah, I can do that."

"Sadly I can't let you get any time off to work on your ideas," Erwin sent him an apologetic glance as Levi's eyes widened a bit, "I need you here. Just in case people wants to experience this _new chef_ ," he spoke the last two words as if he was talking about a fairytale creature and let out a short laugh. "I'm gonna call him right away. Could you go and get the kitchen set? Oh, and please tell Sasha to bring me a cup of coffee," he continued as he sat down by the desk, picked up his phone and waved Levi out of his office.

Levi cocked his eyebrow at Erwin as he turned around and left the room, still not really sure how to feel about the blonde. But he was delighted; meeting Darius Zackly was a great chance and he had to leave a good impression. Hopefully the meeting wouldn't be until the end of the week, so he could plan it out properly. After his watch, he would have to go back home and try to come up with a plan; he knew next to nothing about Darius Zackly, but there had to be a way to figure out what kind of person he was and how to approach him.

Levi smiled for himself as he entered the restaurant again, looking for Sasha. She walked through the entrance just as he was about to ask for her. As he approached her, she stopped to sent him a tired look.

"It's Sasha, right?" Levi asked, just to make sure.

"Yeah," she answered short and chewed loudly on her gum.

"Levi," he said and offered her a hand.

"Yeah," she said again and shook it sloppily, "Look, if Erwin wants his coffee he'll have to wait. I have a serious headache and I need some painkillers before doing anything else."

"Oh, actually," Levi said and stopped her before she walked past him, "I was just going to ask if you could show me how you make his coffee? I'm his assistant after all, and you don't really get paid to serve his coffee, do you?" He offered her a smile as she looked at him like he was crazy.

"Is this a joke?" she asked and looked around to see if Erwin was keeping an eye on them.

"No," Levi answered. If he was going to help turn this restaurant around, he knew he would have to change the attitude of his co-workers. Erwin didn't really seem to talk much to them and Eren had mentioned the staffs attitude in his review. "If you can teach me to make the coffee you made yesterday, I'll gladly take over that task."

"Okay," Sasha's expression had changed to puzzlement, but she sounded surprised in a positive way, "Yeah, I can teach you how to make the coffee. Hang on, I'll just get the painkillers - just wait for me at the bar."

Levi went up to the bar to wait for his colleague as she disappeared into the back of the restaurant. While waiting for Sasha to return, Jean approached Levi with a nervous smile.  
  
"I just want to say that I think you did an amazing job yesterday," Jean said sheepishly and scratched his neck, "And the review in Eren Jaeger's column today – wow!"  
  
"Thanks," Levi said calmly, "You did a pretty good job yourself."  
  
"No problem," Jean smiled widely, "I told Eren Jaeger that you had an emergency and that he wouldn't be able to get another word with you."  
  
"Good job, Jean, I appreciate that," Levi praised and patted his shoulder. As Jean went silent and didn't get back to his work, Levi shot him a searching glance. "Is that all?"  
  
"No, actually..." Jean trailed off and looked down. He dug his hand into the back-pocket of his pants and pulled out a note. He sent Levi an apologetic smile before handing it over.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"He made me promise to give you this. He said he would be back within a week if I didn't," Jean mumbled as Levi took the note from him and unfolded the paper.  
  
 _'Let me apologize properly, darling. If you don't call me, I'll come back to the restaurant if that's what it takes for me to see you again. And I'm not sure your ever-so-talented boss will survive the next time. Call me - Eren.'_  
  
Under his name, the food-critic had written his number. Levi frowned and looked up at Jean again, who jerked back at the dark expression.  
  
"Did you read it?" Levi asked in a dark tone.  
  
"No, of course not!"  
  
"Did you tell anyone about this note? Did you show it to anyone?"  
  
"No," Jean gulped while looking at Levi with wide eyes.  
  
"Very well," Levi said and let his face turn more relaxed, "Pretend this never happened. Eren Jaeger never gave you this."  
  
"Of course," Jean answered and sent Levi a nervous smile, before he ran off to continue help the other waiters. 

Sasha was back shortly after in her work clothes and had her hair tied in a ponytail as she approached him. Levi hid the note in the back of his pants and smiled at her.

"So, do you know how to work the espresso-machine?" she asked and pointed at the huge coffee-monster in the back of the bar.

Levi shook his head, as he noticed that Sasha's attitude already seemed a bit more friendly compared to yesterday.

"Well, it's actually pretty simple," she said and began showing him how to deal with the machine. Levi made sure to remember exactly how she did. After making the espresso-shot, she poured the bitter liquid into a large white cup. "Erwin has a sweet tooth, so I always give it a few drops a hazelnut-syrup before adding the milk," she explained and showed him where they kept the different syrups. "It's actually pretty easy. He just never cared to learn how to do it himself," she mumbled in a bitter tone, "Now you try make one."

Levi copied her technique and she kept a firm eye on him, ready to step in him if he made a mistake.

"So, how come you're so good at making coffee?" Levi asked as he added the few drops of syrup to the new cup.

"I used to work at a café before I came here. I'm actually specialized in making deserts and I started working here hoping I would get the chance to use it," she answered and smiled as Levi poured the warm milk into the cup. She took a sip of his creation and grinned, "it's perfect, you're a fast learner."

"Thanks," Levi smiled as she took another sip, "But why aren't you in charge of deserts if you're specialized in that area?"

"Well, the restaurant only needed one desert-chef after everything started going downhill, and Petra has been in charge of the cakes and sweets for years before I even got here. Erwin is addicted to her work, so he removed me from the task," Sasha explained with a bit of milk-foam on her upper-lip. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before shaking herself back to reality and sending him a sheepish smile.

"Well, thanks for the lesson," Levi said and grabbed the cup Sasha had made, "I better get this to Erwin before he thinks I've run away."

"Yeah, good idea," Sasha said and sent him another smile, "I'll go start up the kitchen then."

Levi left her with the coffee in his hand. If he could get Erwin to change a few things in the kitchen, the staff's attitude wouldn't really be hard to change. Sasha had lit up as soon as he had taken the time to actually talk to her, and if he could get her in on the desert-team, it would probably maximize her effort. This day was already going way better than the previous, but things could still change.  
  
"Where's Sasha?" Erwin asked with a puzzled look on his face, as his eyes fell on Levi.  
  
"She's starting up the kitchen," Levi answered and placed the coffee on Erwin's desk, "She taught me to make your coffee, so I offered to bring it to you."

Erwin sent him a skeptical glance before taking a sip of the coffee. He studied the warm liquid, trying to figure out if anything was wrong with it, but then he took another sip and seemed satisfied.

"Darius Zackly wasn't too happy about Eren Jaeger's review, but he agreed to set up a meeting and he's looking forward to hearing your ideas," he said and looked at Levi over the edge of the cup, "The meeting is in four days. I know that doesn't give you much time to prepare, but you young people don't need much sleep anyway, right?" He let out a chuckle and took another sip of his coffee.

"I don't suppose you could let me take just one day off to prepare the presentation?" Levi asked, already feeling a bit tired from the massive lack of sleep he would get through this week, "I mean, there's a lot of things to think about, and I guess the budget is limited if he approves of the ideas."

"I can't do that, I need you here," Erwin said and fiddled with the handle of the cup, "Besides, you get paid to work in the kitchen. And getting this opportunity must be payment enough itself for you to prepare during your free time."

Levi nodded and looked down in defeat as Erwin smiled for himself, obviously thinking his decision was more than fair.  


* * *

  
Levi returned to his and Erd's apartment after a long - but at least Eren Jaeger-free - day. He was relieved to find Erd alone in the living-room, sprawled across the couch, watching a movie with a beer resting on his stomach. Levi was exhausted and had no idea if he would be able to deal with The Screamer if she and Erd had been going at it when he came home.

"How was your day?" Erd asked and took a sip of his beer as Levi entered the room.

"Long," Levi sighed and bumped down next to his room-mate, "But good, I guess. It's just really hard work."

"You want a beer?" Erd asked and reached for the six-pack on the coffee-table.

"No, I'll just fall asleep if I drink a beer now," Levi said and rubbed his eyes. He got up again and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee instead. While waiting for the water to boil, he silently begged for Erd to not have plans with The Screamer tonight; if he could avoid going back to Hanji's apartment tonight, he would prefer it that way.

"I need to talk to you about something," Levi said as he returned to the living-room and sat down at the couch again, "I'm thinking about finding another place to live."

"What? Why?" Erd asked and sent Levi a puzzled look.

"Because the walls are too thin here," Levi stated and cocked his eyebrow. Erd let out a sheepish laugh.

"Yeah, she tends to be a little loud sometimes," he chuckled and scratched his neck, "I understand, man. You just got a new job, and I know how important it is to you."

"It really is, and I need to take it seriously," Levi said, relieved that Erd was understanding, "It'll be really hard work, and I can't really tell you not to bring your girlfriend back here just because I need to sleep. It _is_ your apartment, after all."

"It's cool, don't worry," Erd smiled and clicked his bottle against Levi's mug, "But you're always welcome if you ever need a place to stay."

"Yeah, I'll consider it if I ever feel like getting a hearing impairment," Levi said and smirked at his friend. Erd laughed again, but looked a bit proud of himself. "I haven't really decided yet, it depends on whether I get to keep the job or not," Levi continued in a more serious tone, "I just thought I'd mention it now."

"I'm glad you did," Erd smiled and took a sip of his beer, "The little lady won't come by tonight though, so I hope you'll stay and watch a movie or something."

"Sure," Levi said and sunk down on the couch to get more comfortable. He knew he should plan out his presentation for Darius Zackly, but he just needed to relax a bit. He would just watch a movie with Erd and then make a plan. And he would have to deal with the note from that damn Jaeger guy too...  
  
A few minutes later, Erd turned to ask Levi if he wanted popcorn, but Levi was already fast asleep, curled up in the other corner of the couch. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta-harem for being amazing as always.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanji drags Levi along to look at an apartment and Levi prepares for his meeting with Darius Zackly. It's funny how some things can go completely as planned, while other things just won't go his way.

"Hanji, it's too fucking early to do this," Levi exclaimed as he let his cousin drag him through a wide street.

"It's never too early!" Hanji beamed and skipped for a few meters, obviously thrilled. The flowery dress danced around her legs in the mild summer-breeze. "If you nail that meeting, they _have_ to keep you!"

"I'm not so sure I'll be able to nail _anything_ as long as you're wasting my free time by dragging me to look at some shitty apartment," Levi huffed and pulled his sleeve out of her hand. He stopped for a moment to straighten his shirt, while Hanji jumped up and down like a puppy to get him to move again. Maybe he should get her a leash.

"Come on, Levi, you won't regret it," Hanji said and tugged at his shirt again, "It's an amazing apartment. It's one of my co-worker's place, and I just thought it was a great idea for you to take a look at it. If you impress Darius Zackly, you could get a new place to live in no time!"

"It's just a fucking apartment," Levi sighed as she dragged him down the sunny street with large trees on the sides. He had to admit that it was a very nice area and it was a lot closer to the restaurant than where he lived with Erd. It wouldn't be a bad place to live, but he couldn't buy an apartment unless he was absolutely sure he could continue working at Phoenix.

"Believe me, this is _not_ just an apartment," Hanji beamed and pulled him over to a large front-door to an old condominium. She hesitated for a moment and turned to look at him; "So, Nanaba works in the economics department, and she is a tough nut to crack, but she's moving in with her boyfriend, so she's more eager to sell than she shows. So just play it cool."

Levi looked up at the beautiful building; the grey façade seemed like it had been renovated recently, but the tall windows and many small balconies helped preserving the charm. It reallywas a nice area.

Hanji rang the bell and dragged him through the front-door as soon as a buzzing sound indicated they could enter the ground-floor. The hallway was beautifully decorated with black and white tiles on the floor, and cream-colours on the walls and ceiling. Stucco decorations were generously placed all over the ceiling, and an old elevator was placed at the end of the hallway, with a wide staircase moving around it.

"I can't afford to live in a place like this," Levi said dumbfounded, as he turned his head to see all the little details. His voice echoed through the hall. "The bank agreed to give me a pretty decent loan if Erwin extends my contract, but this area is way too expensive."

"Would I show you an apartment you couldn't afford?" Hanji smiled knowingly and pulled him further into the building. She opened the door to the elevator and Levi entered with a worried expression. He wasn't a big fan of elevators and it was obvious this one wasn't exactly new. Hanji pushed the button to the second floor, and Levi stiffened as the elevator squeaked and whined while transporting them to the requested floor.

They entered the second floor, and Hanji led Levi to a pair of tall wooden double-doors at the left side of the floor. It really looked way too fucking expensive for him.

"Nanaba?" Hanji called out as she opened the door without knocking, "It's me!"

"Hanji!" a woman with blonde hair smiled gently, as she walked out to her front-door to greet them, "Come on in, I'm just packing up the last things."

Levi introduced himself to Nanaba as she led them inside. The apartment was almost empty, but it was gorgeous from what he could see. The rooms were tall and light, with newly painted walls and old wooden-floors.

"There's a few other people here to look at it, but none of them seem that interested so far," Nanaba said and walked back to what looked like the bedroom, "Just take your time to look around."

Hanji shoved Levi further into the apartment, and they entered a large living-room with tall windows along the wall facing the street. The sunlight shone through the leaves on the trees outside, and illuminated the room in a peaceful atmosphere. The kitchen was placed in the other end of the room, where two other people were standing, checking out the appliances.

Hanji didn't waste her time, and walked over to greet the other two, who she apparently knew from work. She smiled back at Levi as she talked to her co-workers, and he walked around in the apartment to get a better look. It was a really nice place with a small bedroom, a new bathroom and the whole apartment had an amazing air to it. There was a single glass-door leading to the balcony, and Levi walked out to take a look at the view.

"Do you like it?" Nanaba asked as she joined him.

"I've seen worse," Levi responded coldly and looked at her, "But the balcony seems a bit invasive of personal space. I mean, it's practically shared, you'd really have to get along with the neighbour." He nodded to the side, where a wall separated the balcony in two, one part belonging to Nanaba's apartment and one belonging to her neighbour.

"It's an old couple, they never use their balcony," Nanaba smiled and leaned against the wall. It was just above a meter tall, and it would have been easy to look directly into the neighbour's apartment, if it wasn't for the curtains covering their glass-door and windows. "It used to be one big apartment, but at some point someone decided to split it up in two. So, are you interested?"

"Depending on the kitchen, I might be," Levi said and turned to the door to go back inside. He was more than interested, this apartment was perfect. But there was no reason to seem too eager and he couldn't place a bid unless he knew he could afford it. Hopefully no one would buy it before his meeting with Darius Zackly.

"Yes, Hanji told me you work as a chef," Nanaba small-talked, "Most of the supplies are less than a year old, so I'm sure you won't be disappointed."

"Why are you moving away from this place?" Levi asked her over his shoulder.

"It wasn't an easy decision," the blonde answered and looked around with a sad expression, "I'm moving in with my boyfriend, and this place is just too small for the two of us."

"I can imagine you want to sell it as soon as possible then?" Levi hinted, and turned to look at her again.

"Yes," Nanaba answered and cocked her eyebrow, "but only if I get the right offer."

"Well, you could always -" Levi had been looking back over his shoulder, and was cut off as he bumped into someone, "I'm sorry, I didn't -"

No. This could not be happening. His eyes widened as he was met with a bright smile and shining green eyes. What had he done to deserve this?

"Sorry, love, I didn't see you there," Eren smirked as he turned to face Levi. He dug his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked Levi up and down. A frown settled on Levi's face. "Don't worry, I don't have any liquids with me today, so you don't have to run away."

"What are _you_ doing here?" Levi asked annoyed, completely ignoring the flirty tone in Eren's voice.

"I'm thinking about buying Nanaba's apartment," Eren said and nodded towards her, "but I'm not sure I'll be able to focus on anything else, now that I know you're here."

"You're wasting your time, then," Levi said coldly, ignoring Eren's flirtatious comment, "Well, more than usually, that is -" he allowed himself to return the smug smile, "- I'm buying this apartment."

"Sorry to bust your bubble, darling," Eren smiled, obviously not affected by Levi's insult, "but this apartment is going to be mine."

"I already talked to Nanaba about buying it," Levi said. It wasn't really true, but the thought of this amazing place belonging to such an annoying asshole, made him want the apartment that much more.

"Yeah, well..." Eren paused and took a step closer to Levi. He looked him up and down again before continuing in a lower tone; "I usually get what I want."

"I guess you won't be that lucky this time," Levi purred. He turned to move past Eren, but the brunette grabbed his arm lightly. Levi looked up at him with an annoyed glare.

"I won't bid against you if you go out with me," Eren hummed, uncomfortably close to Levi's ear.

"I don't need to go out with you to get this apartment," Levi hissed and narrowed his eyes, "I'll get this fucking apartment, don't even doubt that."

"I guess you'll have to move in with me then, if you want to live here, baby." Eren's smile was cocky as he straightened his back again and let go of Levi's arm. Levi's fingers tingled - he just wanted to wrap his hands around Eren's neck and make sure he would never annoy anyone with that smug expression again.

"I'm buying this apartment so you can just fuck off and search somewhere else!" Levi raised his voice and sent Eren a death-glare. He could feel his cheeks heating up - from anger, of course. God, he pissed him off. "And it better be far _far_ away from me!" Levi hissed and stomped away to find Hanji. He turned back to look at the food-critic again; "And stop calling me baby!"

"Then tell me your name," Eren said and moved closer to Levi again. He dug his hands deeper into his pockets, and the way he was standing there, smiling like a fucking idiot, made him look like a school-boy. How could anyone take his reviews seriously?

"You don't need to know my name."

"I need to know what to write on the door below my own name."

Levi frowned and locked eyes with Eren again, hoping he could scare him away, but Eren just looked at him with a relaxed smile. How was it possible to be that annoying? If there was a prize for the most annoying person in the world, then Eren Jaeger would be disqualified for use of performance-enhancing drugs. Levi wanted to make him shut up; to bite back until Eren finally ran out of stupid comments, but he had to keep his calm. He sure as hell didn't want to provoke him to go even harder on the Phoenix.

So instead Levi turned away without saying anything, and went back through the apartment to look for Hanji. He could hear Eren's footsteps right behind him, but he didn't care; he just wanted to grab his cousin and come back when he knew Eren wasn't pestering the air in this amazing apartment any more.

As he popped his head into the bedroom, Levi finally spotted her. She was checking out the build-in closet in the other end of the room - well, checking out was maybe an understatement; she was actually _in_ the closet, obviously checking out if there was any hidden secrets in there.

"Levi," she beamed from the closet as he stopped in the door, "Come look at this, it's really -"

"So it's Levi?" Eren's voice sounded from behind Levi. Hanji's eyes widened as she noticed her co-worker right behind her cousin, and she struggled to find a face suitable for the situation when she noticed Levi tensing up. He looked like he had just bit down on a lemon and she had a sudden urge to pull out her phone and snap a picture of his amusing expression. Of course he would murder her if she actually did it, though.

"Does it come with a last name or would you like to borrow mine?" Eren leaned in and wiggled his eyebrows at Levi.

"Do you actually say that to people?" Levi snapped and turned to face Eren again. He couldn't keep his calm any more; Eren was just too god damn annoying. "Seriously? If that's the kind of pick-up lines you use, then I'm not surprised that everybody thinks you're a fucking asshole!"

Eren's eyes widened and his face grew completely expressionless. Some part of Levi was cheering, because he _finally_ managed to wipe the annoying smile off of his face, but a little voice in the back of his head - probably the annoying part of himself that he used to argue with through the mirror - kept telling him that maybe, just _maybe_ , he had gone too far.

Levi kept staring at Eren with stubborn eyes. Eren was completely unreadable; his eyes looked from Levi's left eye to the right and back again. It seemed like an awful lot was going on inside his head, and after a long moment his face changed. Levi expected him to return the insult, but the brunette looked down at him with gentle eyes, and... was that a _blush_ on his cheeks? Levi blinked a few times, and told himself that he was just imagining things now. Eren showed off his perfectly white teeth in a mild smile, and his eyes shone with something that made Levi take a step back.

There was no teasing or flirtatious tone in his voice, as Eren finally responded to Levi's insult. "You know, baby, you really are a special little something." His voice was sweet and warm, and as he inhaled to continue, Hanji decided it was time for her to step in.

"Eren!" she cut him off and approached the two men with fast steps, "How are you? I didn't know you would be here today! Nanaba told me you wouldn't come to look at the apartment until tomorrow." She placed herself in front of the two men and obviously did her best to save her cousin.

"I changed my mind," Eren said shortly and sent her a friendly smile. His eyes shot back to Levi, and his smile grew slightly. "And I'm glad I did."

Levi's eyes widened a bit, but Hanji butted in again; "I don't mean to be rude, but we don't have all day," she smiled apologetically at him, "Levi has work to do and he really needs to look at the kitchen before we leave, 'cause, you know, he's a chef!" She let out a nervous laughter, hoping Eren would let Levi alone before his frown grew permanent.

"Yeah, I'm leaving anyway," Eren said and rubbed his neck. The smile faded a bit, but his eyes were just as gentle and friendly as before, as he continued; "I've seen enough." He looked down at Levi again. "It was nice seeing you again, darling."

Levi barely managed to feel relieved about Eren leaving, before he received a firm slap on his ass. His body stiffened and his eyes widened, while Eren leaned down and murmured; "Call me." The teasing tone was back in his voice, but before Levi could react, the brunette had left the apartment. A blush crossed Levi's face before it turned into a frustrated frown, and he seceded from the shock. He turned to Hanji, who had trouble hiding her amusement.

"What was that?" she sang and let out a giggle while poking him with her elbow.

"An asshole shitting all over my day – _again,_ " Levi said dryly, "I should report him for sexual harassment! Maybe that would make him understand he should stay the fuck away from me."

"I don't think you can report people for slapping your ass," Hanji chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Well... He won't get the chance to get his dirty fingers near me again. I'm keeping an eye on him!"

"I think Eren's keeping an eye on you too," Hanji winked. Maybe Levi couldn't see it, but it was actually pretty funny.

Levi frowned. He didn't wait for Hanji to say more, and left to finally take a look at the kitchen.

It was big enough for him to be satisfied with, and most of the appliances were new, just like Nanaba said. It was light and simple, with a lot of space on the counter. The more Levi looked around, the more he wanted the apartment. It was the perfect size for him to live alone. He had to have it.

"I think you have a potential buyer here," Hanji said as Nanaba joined them in the kitchen, and nodded towards Levi, who was checking the condition of the oven.

"No, hang on," Levi said and peeped over the counter to look at the two women, "That really depends on the price range."

Nanaba walked over and showed him a note. Levi was surprised - he had thought it would be much more expensive.

"Eren is interested too," Nanaba said and leaned back against the counter, "This is actually his bid."

"I can give you a better offer." Levi said, as he straightened his back and looked at the blonde. He knew it was foolish to bid on the apartment before he was sure he could keep his job, but he couldn't hold himself back. He _had_ to live there. Besides, there was only two days left until his meeting with Darius Zackly, and if he failed, he could just withdraw and let Eren take the apartment. He wouldn't be happy about it, though. It would be like serving a delicious meal for a pig. Well, he had kind of already done that though...

He thought for a moment, before he wrote down his offer and Nanaba sent him a satisfied smile.

"Hand me your number," she asked and gave him another piece of paper to write it down on, "I promised Eren to call him if anyone else placed a bid, but I'll let you know what happens."

"Please do," Levi said and handed over the note with his phone number, "I know you probably want to make a deal as fast as possible, and I'm willing to act fast."

"That's great," Nanaba smiled, "I'll call you tomorrow then."

 

* * *

 

The restaurant was far from busy the next night, and Levi found time to prepare for his meeting the following day. He was pretty confident in himself, but with the apartment in his head, it was hard to focus. He was still trying to get used to his new job, and he was really looking forward to get the meeting over with and for things to settle down a bit.

He was leaning against the counter in the back of the kitchen, scribbling down notes for improvements, when his phone rang.

"Yes?"

"It's Nanaba," a female voice said in the other end, "I just talked to Eren, and he placed a new bid. He added 1500 Euros."

"I'll add 1000 Euros to his bid," Levi said dryly. He didn't manage to catch the words before they left his lips. He should have asked her for another day to think about his next offer instead. It was like the bare mentioning of Eren made Levi want to bust his balls. Literally.

"I'll get back to you after I talk to Eren," Nanaba said. It sounded like she was pretty content about the prize rising as they kept bidding against each other.

Levi hung up and placed the phone in his pocket. He better had to keep this job, or he would end up in real trouble.

Erwin ended up closing the restaurant two hours before scheduled. He tried to sound casual when he asked Levi how the preparations for the meeting were going, but Levi could sense how nervous he was. He promised Erwin he was doing the best he could, and went back to Hanji's apartment to go through the presentation one last time.

It ended up being more than _'one last time'_ as he kept feeling like something was missing. He was rarely ever nervous, but now that the meeting was this close, he started to feel restless. Darius Zackly had been a huge name in the gourmet-industry for years, and it would be really embarrassing to mess up in front of him.

Levi had dug up Eren Jaeger's reviews of Phoenix through the last couple of years, and went through them again. The asshole apparently _had_ to point out every single little mistake and flaw.

Levi sighed and rubbed his face. It was night and Hanji had gone to bed a long time ago. He knew it would be wise to get a good nights sleep before his meeting the next day, but he wasn't satisfied yet. He got up and went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. He had thought about suggesting to change the entire image of the restaurant - but it would probably just seem like the Phoenix-chain tried to hide behind a mask. Like a cover to keep Eren Jaeger's bad reviews at a distance.

Levi's eyes widened as he got an idea. He left the coffee in the kitchen and ran back to the living-room. He spread his notes all over the coffee-table and grabbed the copies of Eren's reviews again.

When Hanji woke up the next morning, Levi was still sitting on the floor and working. She looked at him with a puzzled expression as she walked past him, and went straight to the kitchen for coffee. Levi didn't look up until she returned with a large mug of coffee for each of them.

"You haven't slept at all, have you?" she asked hoarsely and sat down on the couch across from him.

"No, but I might be able to take a power nap soon if I just -" Levi trailed off as he looked through his new notes one last time- and this time it _was_ the last time. Then he looked at the clock on his phone and shot up. "How did it get this late? Why did you get out of bed just now?"

"It's Sunday, Levi," Hanji mumbled and yawned, "It's my day off."

"Holy fucking shit!" Levi yelled and got up to collect his notes from the coffee-table.

"Why? When are you going to the meeting?"

"In an hour and a half! And I haven't slept or showered yet, what the fuck am I going to do?" Levi's eyelids suddenly felt heavy and a headache threatened to break out. Why hadn't he come up with this idea a couple of days ago? He couldn't go to the meeting like this!

"Take a shower," Hanji said calmly, too drowsy to take part in his desperation, "I'll make you a huge espresso-shot and then you just have to get ready without allowing yourself to notice how tired you really are."

Levi placed the notes in a pile on the coffee-table and gulped down the mug Hanji had handed over. It was a bit too hot, but he just had to get some energy into his system. He walked out to the bathroom and undressed in front of the mirror.

_"This was a bad idea,"_ his reflection pointed out, as he realized it would be hard to hide how tired he looked.

"No, it will pay off," he mumbled to the mirror, "I'm a fucking genius. It's a brilliant idea."

_"Or maybe your tired little brain just can't see how stupid it is to stay up all night before such an important meeting,"_ his reflection answered. Levi locked eyes with himself, annoyed by the always critical voice in his head, and turned to get into the shower. He turned up the cold water, hoping it would help him wake up. He hadn't been able to get a proper night's sleep ever since he started working at Phoenix, but he had convinced Erwin to let him take the rest of the day off after the meeting. He 'just' had to impress Darius Zackly and if everything turned out the way he hoped, then he would call Nanaba, convince her to take his last offer, and then he could sleep the rest of the day. Maybe he could even borrow Hanji's bed...

Levi jerked up as his head hit the wall. Fuck, this was bad, he couldn't doze off like this. He rubbed cold water in his face and washed his body as fast as he could. He would need more than one espresso-shot.

He walked out in Hanji's kitchen with a towel around his waist. She had lined up a shot like promised and made him a piece of toast. Levi drank the espresso-shot and tried to ignore the extreme bitterness, before asking her to make a few more as he went back to the living-room to get dressed.

An hour and twenty minutes later, Levi was sitting next to Erwin in Darius Zackly's office. It was one of the tallest and finest buildings in town, and Darius Zackly's office was placed at the 49th floor. Levi had been too worked up to actually get nervous as he rode the elevator with his boss, and now his leg was tripping and his hands were shaking, as he tried to hold on to his notes. He should have been more cautious about how many espresso shots he had drunk before the meeting. But it had definitely been more than necessary.

The office was about four times the size of Erwin's office back at the restaurant and it was decorated like it had been taken right out of a 50's gangster movie. Darius Zackly himself was sitting in front of a huge window with view over most of the city.

"So," Darius Zackly said calmly, looking at the chef with an expressionless face. His hands were folded on the desk in front of him, as he towered up in his large chair. "Erwin tells me you have an idea to how we can deal with all the bad publicity?"

"Yes," Levi said and drummed his fingers against the back of his notes. He felt extremely hyperactive after way too much caffeine - at least he wasn't going to pass out from exhaustion. "Do you mind if I stand up while talking? I just feel a bit..." he trailed off - his brain was obviously not able to catch up. He blinked a few times and put on a sheepish smile as he failed to find the right word. He knew this wasn't exactly good, but for some reason it all just seemed a bit silly to him right now.

"Go ahead," Darius Zackly said and gestured with his hand for Levi to do as he pleased. He looked a bit surprised though, and Erwin stared at Levi with a terrified expression.

Levi didn't hesitate to get up and hoped it would be easier to express himself if he could just move back and forth in the big office.

"So," Levi said loudly and slammed a pile of paper down on the desk between Darius Zackly and Erwin, "Eren Jaeger has been butt-fucking the Phoenix-chain through the last couple of years - exactly 73 shitty reviews in five years - that is pretty damn bad."

Darius Zackly picked up a few of Eren's reviews and scanned them before looking back up at Levi. Erwin kept staring at him, and his jaw dropped further for each profanity Levi let out.

"In the latest review he even said that ' _the phoenix-chain is as boring and uninteresting as ever'_ ," Levi continued, distorting his voice as he quoted Eren, "And he might be right."

As Levi paused, Erwin hid his face in his hands, obviously preparing himself to get fired along with Levi, but Darius Zackly kept watching Levi with an unreadable expression. Levi smiled knowingly.

"That is at least what his readers might think after _73 bad reviews._ But instead of throwing a shitload of money after changing the look of the restaurants, we _act_ on Eren Jaeger's bullshit!" Levi rested his hands against the desk and pointed at the papers he had thrown there. "We make it sound like he's right. That we _agree_ with the shithead."

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Zackly, I have no idea what he's talking about," Erwin said and sent his boss a pleading look.

" _That way_ we can place a distance between the restaurants and his reviews," Levi continued and ignored Erwin's comment, "The Phoenix-chain has been well-known for so many years, we just have to show that we stand for honesty, modesty and fucking thoroughness, and that we take criticism like fucking men, 'cause we have the skills to improve."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Darius Zackly asked exactly as calmly and expressionless as in the beginning of the meeting.

"Through you, Mr. Zackly," Levi said shortly, "I've noticed that you prefer to stay out of the spotlight, but I think it's time people to see who's the mastermind behind the chain."

"Darius Zackly has never appeared in a single interview before," Erwin said, not able to keep quiet any more, "He has turned down every single journalist -"

"- which is exactly why it will seem that much more honest if he steps into the spotlight now," Levi cut him off and looked back at Darius Zackly again, "People fucking _love_ _it_ when they can connect a face to a specific company. If they remember your name and can see your face in their head whenever they see or hear the name _Phoenix_ , then they will feel like they know you personally. The restaurants will seem more human, and they will even take lighter on little mistakes and errors - which is exactly what Eren _Asshole_ Jaeger likes to point his shitty finger at!"

"And you believe this is enough to get the restaurant back on track?" Darius Zackly asked and leaned in over the table.

"No," Levi said honestly, "But I believe it will be enough to boost the image. The food-magazines will stand in line to get the first big interview with you, and we will make sure to pick one that will of course treat you with dignity, but he has to ask to what we think about Eren Jaeger. You tell them that you see him as an _interesting_ person in the world of gastronomy, and that we do our best to live up to his _very_ high expectations, just like we do to every other customer in the restaurants."

Silence filled the office as Levi and Darius Zackly held eye-contact, and Erwin stared at his hands in his lap. Levi's mind was completely empty as he waited for a reaction from Darius Zackly.

"I thought you worked in the kitchen, not in public relations," Darius Zackly said and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his neck.

"I do," Levi nodded and shifted his weight to his other leg, "I'm a newly educated chef, but I took a course before I attended the culinary school. I hope to open my own restaurant one day in the _far_ future, and thought it wisely to learn to deal appropriately with journalists."

The caffeine was starting to wear off and he felt uncomfortable in his own body. A yawn pressed against his throat, but he refused to do it in the presence of Darius Zackly.

"Where did you find this guy?" Darius Zackly asked Erwin, who flinched at the sudden approach.

"He had the best grades and his old teachers only had good things to say about him," Erwin said with wide eyes, obviously unsure whether he should take credit for hiring Levi or try to push away the responsibility.

"Since you're so thorough when it comes to research," Darius Zackly said and turned to Levi again, who was leaning against the desk to stay on his feet, "It will be up to you to point out the right journalist for my first interview." Levi looked at him with wide eyes, trying to get his brain to process what was being said to him. "Good job..." Darius Zackly looked down at his journal for the meeting, "- Levi. I'm looking forward to work with you from now on."

Levi let out a tense chuckle as it dawned on him that the meeting had been a success. This was perfect, he almost couldn't believe it. He was sure to keep his job now, which also meant he could get that gorgeous apartment.

_Too bad, Eren Jaeger, I guess you'll_ _have to_ _get used to not getting everything you want._

Darius Zackly pushed a button on the intercom on his desk. He asked his secretary to bring in a new contract for Levi, and a few moments later, a short woman entered with a set of files. Levi wasn't able to focus on the letters as they performed line-dance on the paper, but he signed it and received his copy of his new contract and let out a relieved laugh, too tired to function properly any more. He excused himself and promised Darius Zackly to get back to him as soon as he had found the right journalist for him. Darius Zackly handed over his business-card and shook Levi's hand firmly. Erwin left the office together with Levi.

"Good job, Levi," Erwin said and patted his shoulder, "I knew you could do it. Yes, it was definitely a good decision to hire you, but I _do_ have an eye for spotting the most competent employees, if I have to say so myself." He really didn't, but Levi was too tired to say anything, and Erwin's voice slowly turned into a humming sound in his head as they walked into the elevator and returned to the ground-floor. He kept talking to Levi as they reached the entrance to the tall building, and Levi had no idea how to cut him off as he really just wanted to go home and get some rest.

"I'm sorry, Erwin, can we continue this tomorrow?" he asked and furrowed his eyebrows to focus on keeping himself on his feet, "I don't really feel very well, I really need to get back home."

He parted with his boss and decided to get a cab to get back to the apartment as fast as possible. It was still early in the day, and Erd's apartment was a lot closer to where he was now, so Levi decided it was time to sleep in his own bed for a change. Erd would probably be at work now anyway, which left him with the entire apartment for himself.

Just as he thought, the apartment was empty and Levi kicked off his shoes and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He pulled out his phone and dialled Nanaba's number.

"Yes?" she asked as she picked up, and Levi had to choke a yawn to respond.

"It's Levi. Any news on the apartment?"

"Eren raised his offer with another 1000 Euros," Nanaba answered. It took Levi a long moment to figure out exactly how much the apartment would cost him by now. It wasn't especially cheap any more, but it would be cheap in other bills. It would still be worth it and he was sure to keep his job now. He deserved to celebrate.

"I'll add another 800 Euros, but I want to close the deal now."

"I can agree to that, I need to get it off my hands now," Nanaba said. Well, it was about time! "Can you come by later to look at the papers?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Can you come by before 6 pm?"

"Of course," Levi mumbled and turned to look at the watch on the wall. That would give him around 5 hours of sleep before he had to get up again.

Levi hung up and took another sip of water. He was too worn out to be really happy. He let out a satisfied giggle, completely unlike him, but it was all he could manage in this drowsy state.

As he went to his bedroom, he set an alarm on his phone and threw it on the bed before finding a piece of paper and writing a note for Erd. He hung it on his bedroom-door before closing it and plopping down on his bed. He let his face hit the chilly pillow and was ready to doze off right away, when he heard the front-door slam. Sadly, it sounded like Erd wasn't alone.

Levi got up on his elbows as he heard the familiar sounds of The Screamer echo through the entire apartment. She giggled and whined loudly and it sounded like they were taking down the entire building, as they pushed each other against the walls on their way through the apartment. This had got to be a bad joke. Who was the sadistic asshole who decided that this was okay? Levi pulled his pillow over his head, but it wasn't enough to muffle the moans from Erd and - well, _screams_ from The Screamer. Levi stayed like that for what felt like hours, trying to ignore his room mate and his girlfriend, and trying even harder to actually fall asleep. Was he ever going to get a break?

After about 20 minutes, Levi had had enough. He got out of bed and stomped over to his door and ripped it open. On the other side was Erd, only wearing underwear and obviously in the middle of reading the note on Levi's door.

"Oh, you're here," Erd smiled and rubbed his sex hair, "I didn't know you'd come back."

"I still live here, as far as I know," Levi hissed and squinted his eyes in the light from the living-room.

"Well, it's nice to see you again," Erd said and leaned against the door-frame, "You should have called me, then I would have made sure to get the night off."

"I wish I had so I could have avoided listening to you guys performing live porn in the middle of the fucking living-room!" Levi spat and glared at his friend with an angry frown.

"Calm down, man, you said you'd stay at Hanji's place until you found a new place to live," Erd defended himself as the smile disappeared from his face.

"So what?" Levi raised his voice, "I might want to get my belongings at some point, and I would prefer not to have to listen to you and your fuck doll while I'm packing!"

"Hey, don't talk about her like that, just because you haven't gotten laid since you came out!"

"That's not true!" Levi snapped and sent his friend another angry glare, "I just have standards. You should look it up when you're done fucking that chimp in heat."

By that, Levi pushed Erd away and stomped through the living-room. He pulled on his shoes and left with his keys in hand, heading directly for Hanji's apartment. The anger kept him from falling asleep on the bus, but as it wore off, he just felt bad about getting into a fight with Erd. Even though it would be nice if he could keep his girlfriend quiet sometimes. There had to be inventions for that. Like a bat.

He locked himself into Hanji's apartment and found it empty. She had written him a note, saying she had left to hang out with a couple of friends and that she would be home later that night. At least she wouldn't keep him from getting some really needed rest then.

Levi went directly to her bedroom and plopped down on the bed with a loud sigh. The sheets were chilly and soft. The smell of detergents filled his nose and he immediately felt relaxed. This was so nice. Just what he needed.

 

* * *

 

"Levi -"

He turned his head and nuzzled against the pillow. Just five more minutes.

"Levi -" Hanji called again from the edge of the bed, "Come on, you gotta get something to eat."

"No -" Levi whined, "I just want to sleep. I'm so tired."

"You have to," Hanji said and shook his shoulder gently, "It's already 11 pm, you need to eat."

_"What?"_ Levi jerked up with wide eyes, almost smashing his head against Hanji's, "It can't be! My alarm -- it hasn't -" He trailed off as he fumbled around on the bed to find his phone.

"I've got it," Hanji said and pulled his phone out of her pocket, "You left it in Erd's apartment, you idiot. I've been trying to call you all afternoon to ask you how the meeting went, and when Nanaba called me and told me you never showed up to sign the papers, I got seriously worried. I thought you'd screwed up and run off to the North pole or something."

"Fuck!" Levi yelled and let his back hit the mattress again, completely ignoring the scolding tone in Hanji's voice, "I was supposed to be at Nanaba's apartment at 6 pm and sign the papers."

"So you nailed the meeting?"

"What?" Levi looked at her with confusion for a moment, "Oh, yeah. Yeah, it went perfect. Fuck! I have to call her and apologize."

"You better hurry up before she goes to bed," Hanji said and handed over his phone, "Come to the kitchen when you're done, I bought take out."

"Thanks," Levi mumbled and rubbed his eyes before finding Nanaba's number and hitting the call-button. "It's Levi," he said as she picked up, "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I was about to turn in for the night," Nanaba answered with a yawn, "Hang on for a moment." Levi could hear her muffled voice as she pulled the phone away a bit; "I'll be right back, Mikey, this will just take a moment."

"I'm sorry I didn't come, I fell asleep and I forgot my phone at my friends place... anyway, I can come by tomorrow for the papers, if you're free?" Levi said when she returned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Levi," Nanaba said in the other end, "I tried to call you and I called Hanji too, but we couldn't get a hold on you. I thought you had changed your mind since you didn't come, so Eren has placed a new bid now."

Levi rubbed his face. Fucking Eren Jaeger.

"Has he signed the papers yet?"

"No, we agreed to give you another day to contact me, just in case something happened. Hanji seemed worried," Nanaba answered.

Levi hesitated. He couldn't really afford to throw a lot more money after that apartment, but he had practically had it and he couldn't pull back now. He dug his hand into his pocket and found the sickening note Eren had left in the restaurant at the beginning of the week.

"Nanaba, can I call you back tomorrow? I really want the apartment, but I need to talk to someone first."

"Yeah, sure. But call me before tomorrow night, or I will take Eren's offer."

"I will," Levi sighed and looked down at Eren's messy writing, "Thanks."

He hung up and let the phone slide out of his hand and onto the mattress. Fuck.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the wait, I've had some trouble with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless c: Thank you to my faithful beta harem and thank you for all the comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally getting a good nights rest, Levi is ready to fight for the apartment, but of course Eren doesn't play fair. Levi decides to try out something different.

After sleeping through most of the Sunday, Levi got up very early on Monday. He had slept like a baby on Hanji's couch all night, and he still had a lot of time left before he had to be at Phoenix. He had called the bank as soon as they opened and made an appointment to sign the loan on his way to work. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only call he would have to make that day.

Levi procrastinated for as long as he could, as he suddenly decided the kitchen needed to be cleaned thoroughly. When Hanji got up, he had made coffee and French toast, and she munched down the meal with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Mmh, I wish you would make me breakfast every single day," she hummed while chewing loudly.

"Dream on," Levi said dryly and took a sip of his coffee, while turning the page on his newspaper, "You can come down to the restaurant and pay like everyone else, if you want my food."

"How can you say that to your dear cousin who's let you sleep on her couch for a week now?" Hanji asked with false offensiveness in her tone.

"Don't you have to go to work?" Levi asked, ignoring her question.

"I'm leaving in an hour," Hanji smacked with her mouth full, after looking at the clock on her phone, "What about you?"

"I'm clocking in around lunch today," Levi mumbled and emptied his mug. He folded up the newspaper to bring with him as he got up from his seat. "I'm going to take a shit now."

"No, can't you wait?" Hanji whined frantically, and tried to stuff her face with the remaining part of the meal, "I need to take a shower!"

"Too bad!" Levi yelled back over his shoulder, before slamming the bath-room door behind him. He scanned through the newspaper while Hanji whined and yelled at him from the other side of the door, but unlike her, he wasn't busy at all. He had just managed to shut out her yelling, when he turned a page and spotted a column by no other than Eren Jaeger. "Shut up, Hanji, I'm reading!"

"Then move your fat ass and find somewhere else to read!" she yelled back and slammed her fists against the door.

"Don't insult my ass, shithead!" Levi yelled and looked up from the paper. "It's actually very nice," he continued, more to himself than to Hanji. He looked down at Eren's stupid face in the newspaper again and ignored Hanji while reading his review of some small restaurant near the shopping-district in the inner city.

" _Maria Restaurant impressed me despite the cramped space and uninspiring interior. They make up for it with the extremely charming and helpful staff, and their good service. The meal in itself was ordinary, but in my opinion, this place has a lot of potential. It's hard to believe how rare it is to find an unpolished gem like this, when we all know that much more tasteless chains have three restaurants wasting up space in some of the best restaurant-locations."_

"No," Levi whispered to himself in disbelief. He had to read the last sentence again, before letting out a frustrated outburst; "That fucking asshole, how dare he?!"

"What's going on?" Hanji called from the other side of the bathroom-door.

"Eren Fucking Jaeger is trash-talking my restaurant while reviewing _other_ restaurants now!" Levi yelled back, before finally folding up the newspaper and getting off the toilet. Hanji tapped impatiently on the door while he washed his hands and avoided looking at his reflection in the mirror.

How dare that asshole insult Phoenix when the review was about a completely different kind of restaurant? It had to be obvious to everybody who had read Eren's reviews of Phoenix, what he was referring to. How could anyone even take him seriously? Levi washed the soap off of his hands with aggressive motions, and made the mistake of locking eyes with himself through the mirror.

 _"Don't get too worked up, you still need to call him,"_ his reflection pointed out.

"I'm not worked up!" Levi hissed and shut off the water.

"Are you talking to me?" Hanji called and tugged at the door-handle.

"No, I'm talking to myself," Levi said annoyed as he opened the door with the newspaper in his hand, "Look at this! Is this really the kind of journalism you support? I thought Culture & Living was a serious magazine with sophisticated articles and mature opinions!" Levi pointed at Eren's column and Hanji put on her glasses and leaned in to take a closer look.

"That newspaper pays him to write in a provocative tone," Hanji said dryly and looked up at Levi again, "It has nothing to do with Culture & Living."

Levi made an annoyed sound and pushed past Hanji who lit a match before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

While Hanji was in the shower, Levi figured he might as well get it over with. Of course he would prefer not to do it at all, but he had already decided to grab the bull by the balls.

He sat down on the couch before pulling out his phone and the note with the ghastly message from Eren Jaeger. A sigh of frustration left his lips and he frowned while tapping the numbers on the touch-screen, each of them playing a note in the annoying jingle that indicated Eren's phone number. After hitting the call-button, Levi pulled his legs up under him and leaned back against the armrest as he placed the phone against his ear. He felt nervous for some reason and kept the note in his free hand for his fingers to toy with.

"What?" a hoarse voice growled as the call-tone finally stopped.

"Eren -" Levi cut himself off as his own voice sounded more like a 10 year old girl on a boy band concert, than the voice of a 22 year old man. "Eren Jaeger?" He tried again after clearing his throat.

"This better be fucking important," Eren grunted and let out a loud yawn. Levi could almost hear how he was squinting his eyes, trying to adjust to the light.

Levi cleared his throat again. "It's Levi."

After a moment of silence, Levi looked at his screen to check if the call had disconnected, but then Eren finally spoke up again.

"Well, then it _is_ important." Eren's voice was still drowsy but he sounded like he was actually trying to wake up now. A hint of the usual playful tone lingered in his voice, poking at Levi's constant frustration over the fact that Eren lived and breathed the same air as he did. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, love?"

Eren had clearly just woken up - how could he already come up with stupidities like that? He probably talked like that to everyone, that asshole. Levi bit his lip to keep himself from threatening Eren with sending him and his stupid pet-names in rotation around the earth. Maybe Eren was used to get everything he wanted by flirting his way through, but Levi sure as hell wasn't one to fall for cheap tricks like that.

Levi took a deep breath to calm himself before answering; "I, ehh..." - fuck, it was practically impossible for him to actually maintain a polite tone - "I want you to do something... for me."

"Mhh, that sounds interesting," Eren hummed on the other end of the line, obviously awake now, "We can discuss it over dinner tonight. When do you want me to pick you up?"

"That won't be necessary!" Levi raised his voice a bit, rejecting Eren's dinner invitation. _Again._ "I think it's better to do it over the phone." _For me, at least. Then I won't need to look at your stupid face._

"Is that so?" Eren's tone was deep and teasing. Levi was taken aback by the change in his voice and cleared his throat again to keep the flustered feeling at a distance. "What do you want me to do, baby?" Eren purred when Levi didn't continue, "and... _how_ do you want me to do it?"

"It's about the apartment." Levi said quickly, desperate to make sure there was no way Eren would think he would _ever_ call him for any other reason. Damn that teasing tone! He tried to keep himself calm and sound as professional as possible, while still fiddling absent-mindedly with Eren's note.

Eren let out a low chuckle, and Levi tensed up a bit while waiting for his response. Why was it so hard to keep his calm? It was a lot easier to deal with Eren over the phone than face to face, but that dark tone in his voice made Levi forget his words. It had to be because he knew he had to tread carefully when it came to Eren; a wrong move could probably provoke him to go even harder on Phoenix and Levi had to admit that he hadn't exactly acted very politely towards the annoying asshole the last time they ran into each other. Or ever.

"So you're calling to congratulate me on the apartment?" Eren asked smugly, "Or maybe you just want to desecrate it with me?"

"I want you to withdraw your last offer!" Levi spat out as his eyes widened. He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit and turned in the couch to distract himself. How could he imply things like that to someone he barely knew? Hell, they didn't know each other at all! Eren was just some stupid excuse of a humorous entry from Lady Luck, who apparently held a grudge against Levi. God, it was just too early for all of this.

Eren yawned again before answering; except it sounded more along the lines of a loud moan, which only added to the blush Levi had felt sneaking in on him after Eren's suggestive comment. "Still going on about that? I told you I always get what I want," Eren purred as his voice returned to it's normal pitch.

"And I told you you'll have to get used to not getting whatever you want!" Levi responded before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat for the fourth time since he called Eren. "I mean... I'd appreciate if you'd listen to why you should withdraw." _Come on, Levi, breath._

"I'm all ears, darling," Eren hummed in a teasing tone. It was obvious he found it amusing to have Levi restrain himself to keep a polite tone.

"I already had a deal with Nanaba when you placed your last bid," Levi said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible, "I was going to sign the papers."

"But then you didn't show up," Eren cut him off, "I already know, love, she told me everything when I called her last night."

"And then you agreed to give me another day to contact her, which I did last night," Levi continued, ripping a corner of the note off as his fingers tensed against the paper, "And now I'm telling you to withdraw."

"I agreed to give you another day to contact her _with a new offer._ I never said I would withdraw if you ever called her back," Eren said calmly. Levi could hear the creaking sounds of springs and assumed Eren was getting out of his bed. For some reason it made him swallow hard and he took another deep breath in an attempt to stay calm. It didn't work.

"I had a deal with her," Levi insisted and tried to suppress the frustration that had started to boil in him due to Eren's teasing tone, "And I would have already signed the damn papers if it wasn't because I've worked my ass off in the restaurant because of your shitty reviews!"

"I really hate that you let work get between us, baby," Eren hummed, unaffected by Levi's insisting tone, "And I don't really think you can blame your boss' inhuman schedule on me."

"Oh, really?" Levi spat sarcastically and turned in the couch again, "That's funny, 'cause I was absolutely certain you had made it your goal in life to shit all over the Phoenix-chain with your big fat ass, and thereby make it my bitter duty to clean up after your constant oral diarrhea!" Again his foul mouth worked without his permission. What happened to dealing with Eren in a professional way?

"You know, love, I don't really mind you screaming at me in the middle of the night, but I would prefer it to be for _completely_ different reasons," Eren teased playfully.

Levi's eyes widened a bit, and he was unable to hold himself back... _again;_ "It's 8 in the morning, you sick pervert!"

"Oh," Eren sounded surprised but unmoved by Levi's yelling, "Will you look at that - my alarm clock must be -"

"I don't give a shit about your fucking alarm clock, you asshole! I just need you to take your last offer back 'cause I had a fucking deal with Nanaba last night but I slept through it because I've been working day and night because of your fucking unbelievably shitty reviews!"

"I wouldn't call them _unbelievably_ shitty," Eren stated calmly.

"I would!" Levi yelled and crumbled up the note in his hand, "and I had a deal with Nanaba, the apartment is _mine!_ " He had no right to act like this, and he knew it. He couldn't claim the apartment and he couldn't force Eren to withdraw. But that damn annoying smugness Eren always wore made Levi act completely irrational. The words had left his lips before be even thought them through.

"Well, you know what you have to do to make me pull back," Eren murmured allusively.

"I'm not going out with you!" Levi hissed and and threw the crumpled note away with an aggressive jerk of his hand.

"I guess I'll get the apartment then," Eren said, "Think about it, darling. Call me later when you've changed your mind."

Levi let out a frustrated noise before hitting the end call-button with furious and hard movements of his thumb, before realizing it was impossible to hang up in an aggressive way as long as he used a phone with touch screen. He threw the phone away to the other end of the couch. Well, that was a fucking waste of time! The only thing he got out of that was shooting more insults at Eren Fucking Jaeger. This was starting to get a really bad habit.

"Shoot me with lukewarm shit," Levi growled and rubbed his face. _Why_ had he let his temper get the best of him _again?_ "Well done, Levi, there goes the great apartment." He let out another frustrated sound.

"What's going on?" Hanji asked as she walked into the living-room with a towel around her body while drying her hair with another one.

"Jaeger," Levi hissed and threw his feet on the coffee-table with a loud thud, "I just talked to him. That asshole refused to withdraw his offer."

"So you called him?" Hanji asked with a curious smile.

"Only to make him withdraw!"

Hanji sat down on the table next to Levi's feet. His toes bobbed aggressively as he crossed his arms over his chest with a frown.

"Why don't you just go out with him?" she asked and placed a moist hand on his knee, "You'll get the apartment and who knows, your opinion of him may even change!"

"No!" Levi ruled with a pout that made him look like an offended child, "I still have until tonight to call Nanaba. I don't need to go out with that asshat."

"No, of course not," Hanji rolled her eyes at her cousin and leaned back to rest her hands against the table behind her, "I forgot you're afraid of having fun."

"There's nothing _fun_ about Eren Jaeger." Levi spat the name as if it refused to leave his tongue.

"You're so stubborn," Hanji sighed and shot him another teasing look, "Why don't you just let him take you to dinner? Get a free meal, get the apartment, and maybe let him beat your meat." Levi stared at her with a disgusted glare. "You could use it!"

"I'd rather spend the rest of my life in celibacy than let him... _beat my meat._ "

"I think that already happened a long time ago," Hanji smirked before getting up from the coffee-table. She stuck out her tongue and pulled the towel closer around her still damp body, before disappearing into her bedroom.

Levi scowled after her. Too worked up to think straight, he reached for the remote control to Hanji's huge box of an old-ass TV. He turned it on and zapped through the channels, most of them showing some sort of morning-program with a little too energetic hosts and completely unimportant stories. He settled on the channel Hanji normally used as background noise every morning, mostly because of the few commercial-breaks, and threw the remote control to the other end of the couch where it landed next to his phone. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. If this was happening to anyone but himself, he would probably have been impressed by Eren's ability to piss him off. But it _was_ happening to him, and the only impressive thing about Eren was the fact that he was still alive.

"Argh, I want that apartment!" Levi yelled and slammed his fists against the cushions on each side on him. He forced himself to stare at the screen in front on him, hoping to distract himself enough to not plan out the murder of Eren Jaeger. Though all his expensive kitchen knifes would need a bit of exercise after lying unused for over a week back at Erd's place.

"Are you going to look for another apartment?" Hanji asked as she walked back into the living-room, now wearing a lose white dress, while attaching a part of large earrings.

"I guess," Levi huffed and leaned back in defeat. It was stupid to give up when it would _'only'_ cost him a date with the asshole, but... he just couldn't do it. He could deal with almost any idiot but Eren just managed to push all the right buttons, and... No, he just couldn't. Never.

"Do you want me to keep an eye out for you?" Hanji asked and sat down next to him after moving his phone and the remote control to the coffee-table.

"Yeah," Levi grumbled and sunk down in the couch. His eyes rested on the screen, but he didn't really take notice of what was going on in front of him. "Thanks."

As the camera changed to another host, who was talking to a chef in the TV-kitchen, Levi's attention slowly changed from his thoughts to the program. The blonde host asked the chef to tell about the dish, while stacking his cue notes against the counter.

"Didn't he use to host something else?" Levi asked as he felt he had seen the blonde guy on another - and much more serious - program.

"Yeah, he used to be on The Night Show," Hanji answered as she looked at the TV, where the host small-talked to the chef, "He was removed because he made a mistake while interviewing some big shot in the pharmaceutical industries. It's too bad - he's a good journalist and he worked his ass off to get to host The Night Show. Poor guy."

"How do you know all that?" Levi asked and cocked his eyebrow at his cousin, "I thought you wrote about events and concerts, not empty gossip."

Hanji responded with a knowing smirk; "Mike is Nanaba's boyfriend, smartass. I ran into her in the ladies room right after he got degraded. I probably caught her in a vulnerable moment, 'cause she told me everything. He had called her right away, and she was completely devastated from hearing him so frustrated. She might seem cold but she has a total soft spot for him."

Levi had forgotten all about the TV and had turned to look at Hanji while she spoke. Hanji, on the other hand, seemed to think it was completely irrelevant gossip, and had turned her attention towards Mike and the chef's conversation.

"And?" Levi asked, when she didn't continue.

"And nothing," she looked at him in confusion, "She was just sad. They had planned on buying a new apartment together and she probably hoped to start a family with him in the near future. He doesn't get the same payment on the morning-program, so they had to change their plans. They decided she would move in with him to save money, and put everything on hold until he can climb his way up the career-ladder again."

"Interesting," Levi mumbled, deep in thought. He got up from the couch and walked over to the neat pile of shirts he had placed on Hanji's dinner-table. She rarely ever used it, so it had served as storage for his clothes during his stay. He picked up an unearthly clean shirt and threw it over his shoulders, buttoned it quickly and grabbed his phone from the table. "I'm leaving," he informed her, as Hanji seemed too caught up in the TV to notice he had moved from the couch.

"...mkay," she mumbled while still staring at the screen.

Levi considered telling her she was about to be really fucking late for work, but he figured she would notice soon. Levi, on the other hand, had a few thing he needed to do before going to the restaurant.

As soon as he reached the street, he was momentarily blinded by the bright sun, and he immediately felt a thin layer of sweat on his neck. It had been a hot summer, but it seemed like it hadn't reached it's climax yet. Maybe he should really consider wearing something else than long-sleeved shirts all the time. He pulled out his phone and called Nanaba.

"It's Levi," he said as soon as she picked up, "I hope I didn't wake you?"

"No, I'm just about to leave for work," she answered and took a sip of whatever beverage she was consuming, "Have you decided if you want to place a new offer on the apartment?"

"No, not yet," Levi answered casually as he began walking towards a new coffee-shop he had decided to try out that morning, "I was actually calling about something else."

"Oh?" Nanaba sounded surprised, "What then?"

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I don't really have time to contact the TV station, but -" Levi paused as he looked for traffic before crossing the street, "- I need to get in touch with Mike Zacharius. I've heard you might be able to help me."

"Why?" Her voice was wary but not hostile.

Levi hesitated for a moment. "It's work related."

"He's at work right now," Nanaba said after another moment of silence, "I'll mail you his phone number. You should be able to reach him around 11 am."

"Thanks," Levi smirked. _Perfect_. "I'll call you back about the apartment after lunch."

He hung up and kept the phone in his hand, waiting for Nanaba's message as he walked towards the coffee-shop. As he took the first sip of what turned out to be a very decent cup of coffee, he finally received Mike's number. Levi knew the morning-program was still airing, but decided to call and leave a message. Hopefully Mike would call back as soon as he heard it and they could talk before Levi's shift started. If everything turned out as planned, not even Eren Fucking Jaeger would be able to ruin his day - again.

Levi enjoyed his coffee on his way to the bank, where he spend around 30 minutes going through the papers with a financial adviser. It wasn't exactly thrilling, but he signed the papers and left with the feeling of being extremely rich for a short amount of time. There was still around an hour left before he could expect Mike to call him back, so Levi decided to grab another cup of coffee and call Erd. He was reminded why Erd was his best friend, as his voice lightened up as soon as he heard Levi's voice. He reassured Levi that he didn't hold a grudge against him, but Levi felt the need to apologize anyway. Erd promised him to make sure The Screamer wouldn't be around when Levi came by to pack his belongings, as long as Levi remembered to let him know when that would be.

"Hopefully I'll be able to move soon, so I'll come by tomorrow and put my things in boxes."

"I'll tell her I'll be busy with work then," Erd hummed cheerfully, "I'll keep you company and help you drink all the beer you'll bring."

"Bring your own fucking beer, you're the bartender," Levi said dryly and sipped his coffee. It was nice to know that nothing had changed between them despite the stupid fight they had previous day.

"Fine, but then you have to come by the bar soon and keep me company," Erd said exactly as dryly in the other end of the line, "I'll even change it from 'happy hour' to 'angry hour' just for you."

"I'm honoured," Levi huffed and emptied his cup. He heard a low knocking sound coming from his phone and pulled it away to look. "Erd, I'll call you back later!" he said and hung up before his friend could manage to answer. "Hello?" he asked after pushing the green button for the other call.

"It's Mike Zacharius," a dark voice answered, "You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, do you have time to meet me?" Levi asked and stopped in the middle of the street, "I can be at the studio in 20 minutes."

 

 

* * *

 

Levi ran as fast as he could from the bus stop to the restaurant. He knew he should have called Erwin, but he hoped the successful meeting still kept his boss too ecstatic to care. Mike had been more than interested when Levi told him about his proposal, and they had talked until Levi had realized he was about to be late for work.

As he entered the restaurant, he was relieved to see most of the staff making the usual preparations, while Erwin was entertaining Jean and Sasha with the meeting from the previous day, telling them how he _'just knew Levi had it in him'_ and he _'didn't want to take credit for anything, but it was him who had picked Levi out after all'_.

"And there he is!" Erwin beamed as Levi approached them, sweaty, panting and cursing himself for his physical condition that just wasn't as good as it used to be. He waved at them while trying to catch his breath. "I was just telling Jean and Sasha about how we kicked ass yesterday."

"We need -" Levi had to pause and take a deep breath before he continued, "We need to call Mr. Zackly. I've found a journalist."

"Already?" Erwin asked as his eyes widened, "Good job, Levi! Who?"

"Mike Zacharius," Levi gasped as he straightened his back, "You know, the guy who used to be on The Night Show. He's on some morning program now."

"Great choice!" Erwin said and nodded enthusiastically, "I had actually thought about mentioning him as well. Its good to see you're adapting this fast to the restaurant's image and presentation."

Levi nodded and wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead. He decided to blame the hot weather and all the coffee for his condition, because with all his running through the city this past week, he should soon be able to run a whole marathon.

"So, I heard the meeting went great?" Jean asked and smiled friendly at Levi.

"Yes, it went perfectly," Erwin said before Levi could answer, "Now get to work, you two, you don't get paid to just stand here and chat. Come, Levi, let's call Darius Zackly right away!" He started walking towards his office, but turned around again just as Levi was about to follow suit. "Sasha - be a darling and bring me a cup of coffee." He turned to stroll to his office before anyone answered, but Levi changed direction towards the bar instead of following his boss.

"It's okay," Sasha said and stopped him, "I'll take care of it today. Do you want anything?"

"Just water," Levi said and sent her a grateful smile, "Thanks."

He turned again and ran towards Erwin's office. When he entered the room, Erwin was already sitting in his chair with his feet on the desk and chatting on the phone.

"Exactly, Mr. Zackly ... Yes, we believe Mike Zacharius to be the perfect choice ... If we have - hang on, let me check," Erwin pressed the phone against his shoulder and looked up at Levi, "Have you talked to the journalist yet?"

"Yes, I had a meeting with him just before I -"

"We have already talked to him," Erwin cut him off as he picked up the phone again, "You want us to set up a meeting before the interview? I'll make sure it'll be arranged."

"Can you put him on speaker?" Levi asked, eager to pass on all the information to Darius Zackly.

"That's a deal then, Mr. Zackly," Erwin said as Levi kept trying to get him to listen. He smiled and nodded at Levi, completely ignoring what he asked. "Yes, I'll call you back later with more details. Bye."

Levi frowned as Erwin hung up, just in time for Sasha to walk into the office with coffee for Erwin and a large glass of water for Levi. He thanked her before she left again, while Erwin wrote down a few notes on the laptop on front on him.

"Darius Zackly wants a meeting with Mike Zacharius before he says yes to the interview. He needs to make sure he understands and agrees to the conditions," Erwin said and looked up from the laptop.

"I already did that," Levi said annoyed, "that's why I asked you to put it on speaker. Mike is very professional and more importantly, he holds deep respect for Mr. Zackly. He knows exactly how to treat him."

"Well, that's great then," Erwin beamed and took a sip of the coffee, "I'll let it be up to you to set up the meeting between them."

"Fine," Levi huffed and walked out of the office with the water in his hand. Sometimes Erwin's bare presence was enough to make him feel like he hadn't slept for days. This was probably how it felt to take care of a three year old.

Levi found a silent spot behind the kitchen where he sat down on top of a crate. He took a long sip of the water while finding Mike's number again.

"It's Levi," he sighed as Mike picked up, "the interview is yours. But Darius Zackly wants to set up a meeting with you first to make sure you understand and agree to everything he has to say."

"Didn't you tell him we already went through that?" Mike asked.

"No, sadly I wasn't the one to deliver the message to Mr. Zackly," Levi frowned and placed the cold glass against his heated forehead, "but it doesn't matter. If you just tell him what you told me, the interview is yours. I'll mail you the number for his office."

"Thanks," Mike hummed, "Oh, by the way, my girlfriend just called me -"

"Nanaba?" Levi asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah. She told me you were interested in her apartment?"

"I am," Levi answered shortly, waiting for Mike to hopefully tell him what he wanted to hear.

"You should have let me know sooner. I know Eren Jaeger placed the last offer, but Nanaba is willing to let you get it for the prize of your last bid. You know, as a thank you for the opportunity you've provided me with."

"That's very generous of you guys," Levi said, while trying to hide the smile that had spread on his face.

"It's the least I can do," Mike answered, "Come by the apartment some time tonight and we'll look at the papers."

"I'll see you later then," Levi said before hanging up. The wide smile on his face didn't wear off all night, but for some reason his co-workers decided to keep a distance to him and most of them looked at him in shock whenever facing him.

Except for scaring the rest of the restaurant shitless, the evening went by as planned. Erwin closed down early as he had done the last couple of days, and Levi went straight to Nanaba's apartment to sign the papers. He couldn't help but feel extremely satisfied with himself as he walked back to Hanji's apartment, knowing he had his own place now. Not only had he gotten the best apartment he had seen in a very long time, he had also managed to outsmart Eren Jaeger. This day had turned out to be a lot better than first expected.

Hanji had gone to bed as he entered her apartment, and he sneaked past her bedroom to make sure he didn't wake her. He was more than ready to get some shut eye himself, and started undressing by the couch when his phone started ringing.

"Yes?" Levi asked as he picked up.

"Hi baby," a depressingly familiar voice sounded from the other end of the line, "How are you?"

"How did you get my number?" Levi asked frantically. A lot of people could have given Eren his number; Nanaba, Hanji, hell, if he had called the restaurant, pretending to be someone else, Erwin would probably have given it out too! The question was, who should have to pay for it?

"You called me this morning, remember?" Eren chuckled. Levi frowned; had he really been foolish enough to not hide his caller ID?

"What do you want?"

"I'm just calling to congratulate you on the apartment," Eren answered. He sounded strangely happy, considering that he would have to find another place now.

"T-thank you?" Levi said, not really sure how to respond to Eren's odd behaviour. Why was he calling to congratulate him? Oh well, it didn't really matter, did it? He had won. And Eren had to suck it up. A smirk settled on Levi's face as he continued; "I told you, you'd have to get used to not getting whatever you want."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that."

"What do you mean?" Levi asked, suddenly feeling a hint of nervousness from Eren's comment.

"You're right, I really wanted that apartment," Eren said in a serious tone that still allowed a hint of his usual charm to shine through, "But I also really want you to be happy, love."

Levi's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything.

"So I guess I still got exactly what I wanted."

Levi hung up and threw the phone away. It landed on the couch where it bounced off and hit the floor with a loud thud. The cover broke off and the battery fell out, but Levi just kept staring at it. He could feel the heat burn in his cheeks, but he refused to believe it was because of what Eren had said. He was just tired - _very tired._ He had even managed not to yell at Eren. It was an obvious sign that he was completely beside himself.

Levi picked up the loose parts of his phone and put the battery back where it belonged before trying to turn it on. It didn't seem like it had taken any damage, and he let out a relieved sigh before continuing to prepare the couch for the night. He didn't want to think about his last conversation with Eren, and he had to get up early and pack his things before going to work.

 

 

* * *

 

A week later, Levi was eating breakfast for the first time in his new apartment. His first night there had been as pleasant as a first night in an unfamiliar place could possibly be, and he was enjoying spending the morning alone by walking around in a pair of lose blue pyjamas pants, a black tank top and bare feet.

He still needed a lot of furniture, but he had the most important things; a bed, his clothes, all his cooking equipment and expensive kitchen knifes. He had bought a TV, a coffee-table and a very cosy grey couch with matching puff, where he was sitting now, enjoying his eggs and bacon along with a large cup of steaming hot coffee. He was happy - no, he was more than happy! This was absolutely perfect, and as soon as he had the time to go out and buy the rest of the furniture, he would look forward to spend many years in his amazing new home.

Levi turned up the TV, as Mike appeared in the middle of a typically studio-couch, looking exactly as uncomfortable as the rest of the furniture in every single talk show ever. Levi leaned forward as the camera turned to show Darius Zackly sitting next to him. Mike thanked him for coming and Levi smiled as Darius Zackly sent the host a warm smile and thanked him for inviting him.

"Fucking perfect," Levi smiled to himself and took a sip of his coffee.

Mike was treating Darius Zackly with deep respect and asking the right questions without kissing his ass. He had definitely been the right choice. Darius Zackly seemed calm and friendly as he answered one question after another; this would without a doubt pay off for the chain.

 _"Mr. Zackly, it's hardly a secret that you've had trouble with bad publicity through the last couple of years,"_ Mike asked after glancing down at his cue card, " _What do you do to change your reputation?"_

 _"Well, first of all,"_ Darius Zackly said calmly and locked eyes with Mike, _"I want to make it clear that we don't only get bad reviews. As an old chain-restaurant, I think it's obvious that we still get good reviews too - otherwise we wouldn't still be here."_

_"But your reputation has been going downhill lately?"_

_"Yes, I can't deny that,"_ Zackly replied with the same steady calmness, _"It seems that the new generation of food-critics have completely different standards than when I started working in the business."_

"Yes, perfect," Levi hummed to the TV, "Make it personal. Let the viewers know you take responsibility."

 _"You mean Eren Jaeger?"_ Mike asked and raised an eyebrow at his guest.

" _Among others,_ " Darius Zackly answered and offered Mike a friendly smile.

 _"Eren Jaeger is one of the most well-acknowledged food-critics right now,"_ Mike stated and turned a bit in the couch before continuing, _"And probably one of the hardest critics on Phoenix. How do you deal with his reviews? You must be losing a lot of customers, thanks to him."_

 _"I want to make it clear that I don't have a problem with Eren Jaeger,"_ Darius Zackly said, _"I'm a faithful reader of his columns and... he's a_ funny _young man -"_

"Yes, yes! Perfect!" Levi cheered and placed his plate on the table.

_"- and an interesting person in the world of gastronomy. You know, Mike, after many years in this business, I've learned to appreciate picky people with high standards. Paying attention to the critics, is a good way to improve and make sure we can give our guests the absolutely best experiences. We take Eren Jaeger's reviews as constructive criticism and do our very best to meet his expectations, just like we do to every other customer in the restaurant."_

_"Mr. Zackly, some people might think this interview is just a paltry attempt to save your restaurants,"_ Mike said in a tone that indicated that he definitely wasn't one of those people. Darius Zackly smiled. _"What do you think about that kind of accusations?"_

_"I think it would be a very frivolous move, if that was the case. Of course I want to keep the restaurants running, but we're not even close to shutting down. The reason for me to step into the spotlight now, is that I've read reviews saying that the Phoenix-chain had become impersonal and colourless. That's why I'm going to deal with the press myself from now on - to show that there are indeed people behind the spot-free tablecloths and fancy menu. We live and breath for our customers, Mike."_

_"Thank you, Mr. Zackly,"_ Mike said and turned towards the camera to present the next guest in the studio.

Levi leaned back in the couch with his coffee and smiled. He had been lucky to nail that meeting, but even luckier as Zackly turned out to be so good on camera. His first week working at Phoenix had been tougher than anything else he had experienced, but the second week had been a lot easier, and Levi had a feeling that it would only get better from now on. He had been unlucky to run into Eren so many times, but it looked like his luck had _finally_ turned.

He emptied his mug before getting off the couch to wash off his tableware. He had absolutely nothing to complain about. Well, _if_ he had to point his finger at something, it would have to be the extremely hot weather. Not that he disliked summer at all, but it had been completely intolerable through the last couple of days and according to next weeks forecast, it would only get worse. The tall windows in the apartment let in a lot of sunlight, but unfortunately a lot of heat too. Levi knew his apartment would be like a sauna when he got home from work unless he left a window or the balcony-door ajar.

After cleaning the plate, he walked over to the balcony-door and decided to enjoy the view for a short moment before getting ready for work. As he opened the glass-door and stepped out on the small balcony, a fresh breeze hit his face and he took a deep breath as it ruffled his hair. Oh yes, this was definitely perfect.

He rested his hands against the old iron-fence, studying the busy street beneath him, when he heard the neighbour open the door to their part of the balcony. Remembering he had been too busy to greet the old couple next door, Levi turned to introduce himself as they entered their part of the balcony. Except it wasn't an old couple.

"... and this is the balcony. It's a bit cramped, I know, but I think the view makes up for it - oh, good morning! I hope we didn't wake you?" A tall man with dark hair and a navy-blue suit entered the balcony, and cut himself off as his eyes fell on Levi's puzzled face.

"You're right -" a calm voice said behind the suit. Levi's eyes widened. "- the view is absolutely beautiful. 'morning love."

"What are you doing here?" Levi asked hoarsely as his eyes met Eren's.

"Looking at an apartment," Eren smiled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it actually was. He walked over and rested his elbows against the wall between them while looking Levi up and down. "You look good, baby."

"Y-you can't buy that apartment," Levi said childishly, as he was unable to come up with anything else, "What about the old couple that -"

"Oh, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Edgeworth decided to sell and move to the country after Miss Nanaba told them about her sale," the suit said as he strode right over next to Eren to offer Levi his hand, "Nick Wright, real estate agent."

Levi let him shake his hand without thinking, while looking exactly as confused as he did, the moment Nick Wright and Eren entered the balcony instead of the old couple he had expected.

"I'll take it," Eren said casually. Nick turned to smile widely at his client, who locked eyes with Levi again and sent him a pearly white smile.

"Very well, Mr. Jaeger!" Nick Wright beamed and shook Eren's hand enthusiastically, "I'll go get the papers right away!"

Eren turned to lean against the wall again, while Nick Wright disappeared into the apartment to find the papers in his suitcase. Levi was frozen to the spot with disbelief painted all over his face. This _had_ to be a joke. And the worst he had ever heard.

"How's the apartment, darling?" Eren asked and tried to get a look at how Levi had decorated through the windows.

Levi opened his mouth to respond but his brain had stopped working. He wanted to yell all the profanities he could come up with - but the words refused to find their way out of his mouth.

"You can't live here," he whispered at last.

"Don't worry, darling, I'm not a bad neighbour," Eren smirked and reached out to stroke Levi's jaw. Levi held his breath, unable to move, as Eren grabbed his chin lightly and let his thumb brush over his lower lip. Eren studied Levi's mouth and bit his own lip playfully, "I'll be living here all alone and I rarely ever throw parties, so I won't be keeping you up all night." Nick Wright entered the balcony again with the papers in his hand and Eren let go of Levi's chin, and turned to sign them. He looked back over his shoulder and winked at Levi as he purred; "Well, not _that_ way anyway."

Levi's eyes widened further as his jaw dropped again. He turned on his heel, stomped back inside his apartment and slammed the door so hard that the glass rattled. He turned to hide next to the door, and pressed his back against the wall to stay out of Eren's sight. He breathed out sharply and swallowed hard. He shut his eyes tightly and begged to everything he never believed in before now, that this was just a bad dream and that Eren wouldn't be there when he opened his eyes again.Eren was just about the last person he would want to live next to. He preferred Erd and The Screamer - _both in heat_ \- over Eren Jaeger. Hell, he would rather share a room with them than knowing Eren was right on the other side of the wall!

He peeped around the corner to look out the glass-door. Eren and Nick Wright were still standing on the balcony, chatting. Eren seemed even more complacent than usual as he dug his hands into the pockets of his pants and let out a laugh. Then his eyes met Levi's and he smiled widely and winked again. Levi blushed and pulled back to hide again. Fuck.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments! It's a huge motivation for me and makes it so much more fun to work on this story.  
> And thanks to my beta harem for all the help and motivation.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finally has a day off to take care of the last things in his apartment, but something gets in the way.

Levi walked around in his loose pyjamas pants, about to turn in for the night. The apartment was dark and it was quite late, when he heard a low knock on his front door. He walked right out and answered the door without feeling the need to check who was on the other side. Somehow he already knew by the way the person placed three soft knocks on the wooden surface, almost teasingly slow. Shining green eyes met his own as Levi opened the door silently.

"I feel like we got off on the wrong foot," Eren said calmly without greeting.

"Oh," Levi just said, without taking his eyes away from Eren's, "How so?"

"I think -" Eren took a step closer and leaned his shoulder against the door-frame, "- that you somehow got the idea that I'm just some asshole who only thinks about himself." Eren pushed his way into Levi's apartment and Levi stepped back to allow him to enter. Eren was standing so close to him that Levi could feel his warm breath on his face. "I'm not really that bad."

"It's hard for me to know when that's all you've shown me," Levi explained calmly while never breaking the eye-contact.

"Yeah, but you never told me you wanted to see anything else," Eren hummed, "You could have just asked. I don't bite -" his smile widened as his gaze shot from Levi's eyes to his lips and back up again, before whispering the last word; "- much."

"But I do," Levi murmured before leaning up and catching Eren's lower lip with his teeth. Eren's eyes widened in surprise as Levi tugged at the soft flesh and swept his tongue over it. He looked up at the large, green eyes again and sucked harder.

Eren breathed in sharply. His eyes never left Levi's as he pulled him closer and wrapped his arms around him. Levi let go of the lip and moved down to bite onto Eren's neck instead. He let his teeth scrape against the skin, and traced small butterfly kisses up and down, before biting onto a spot just below Eren's jaw. Levi rolled the soft skin between his teeth and sucked harder. He felt the urge to let his teeth sink deeper and deeper into the abused skin.

"You're really out of shape, aren't you?" Eren chuckled and pulled Levi away by the hair to lock eyes with him again, "Don't worry, love, I'll make you -" ---

Levi let out a terrified sound as he jerked up in his bed. It took him a moment to figure out where he was and that he - _thank god!_ \- was all alone.

"I'm _not_ out of shape, it's my own choice!" he shouted and hid his face in his hands, too embarrassed to deal with the memories from the dreams that kept finding their way to his consciousness. What the fuck was wrong with him? Why was he dreaming about that asshole again?

He tried to lie down again and go back to sleep, but in an attempt to think about something else, he accidentally kept reminding himself of the first time he dreamed about Eren.

Levi let out a frustrated - and slightly embarrassed - noise and hid his head under a pillow. _Why him?_

Two weeks had passed since the last time he ran into Eren, thanks to his new favourite invention; the door-viewer. Levi had learned to appreciate it's existence as soon as he realized he could avoid Eren by checking the hallway before leaving his apartment. More often than he would like to admit, had he snuck out of his apartment and sprinted down the stairs, whenever he knew Eren was in his apartment. The asshole had spend a lot of time ordering craftsmen around before he started moving in his furniture a few days ago. After spending half an hour last night with his ear against the wall and trying to look across the balcony without getting spotted, Levi was pretty sure Eren was spending his first night in the apartment right now.

Levi knew it would be impossible to keep avoiding Eren from now on, unless he gave up his balcony and closed off all windows facing that direction. The view wasn't worth much if Eren was going to pester it with his presence. Instead of making a spot for him to enjoy his morning-coffee out on the balcony, like he planned at first, Levi had decided to use it as a repository for all his fresh herbs. There was no way he would let Eren ruin his mornings.

Levi pulled the pillow away from his face and stared into the ceiling. Going back to sleep just wasn't possible; as soon as he closed his eyes, the image of Eren - uncomfortably close - danced behind his eyelids. After a few moments of tossing and turning, Levi got out of bed.

At least it wasn't the middle of the night, as he first thought. When he opened the door to the living-room, the early morning sun shone through the windows and illuminated the apartment in a soft light. The trees outside made green colours dance all over the walls and floor, and Levi felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth by the thought that he actually lived here.

While spending every single evening in the restaurant through the past couple of weeks, Levi had still managed to find the time to buy the last pieces of furniture he needed. He had picked out a small round dinner table and placed it in the far left corner between the kitchen counter and one of the windows, along with four matching chairs that looked a lot more comfortable than they actually were. Hanji had dumped by a couple of times with various moving-in presents, one more disastrously ugly than the next. He had been ready to throw it all out, but she had threatened to go tell Eren that _'Levi wanted to rock his cock'_ if he didn't appreciate her presents. But at least his apartment was almost complete now.

Erwin had promised him to get the Sunday off, if he worked all Friday and Saturday, and Levi was really looking forward to finally get a day where he could do exactly what he wanted. He had ordered some new shelves that would arrive Sunday and he was going to call Erd and ask if he could borrow his power drill.

Levi trudged into his kitchen and prepared a strong cup of coffee. While waiting for the water to boil he looked around in the apartment; hanging shelves and pictures on the walls were the only things left to do.

After finishing his morning-routines, he called Erd - and accidentally woke him up again. Erd told him he could come pick up the power drill Sunday afternoon, if he promised to visit him at the bar soon. Levi felt bad about spending all his time at work, but he knew it was only a matter of time. Phoenix' popularity was slowly growing after Darius Zackly's appearance on TV, and Erwin had agreed to start giving Levi more responsibility. Giving Levi credit for his hard work and good ideas, was something he still hadn't learned, though.

He was just about to get ready to leave, when he heard voices in the hallway. Knowing Eren had moved in permanently now, Levi snuck over to look out of his door-viewer. He could see directly over to Eren's front-door, where Eren was standing in a t-shirt and boxers - Levi momentarily got distracted by how muscular his legs were and how his tanned skin stood out against his tight, white ... - Levi shook his head and turned his attention towards the woman Eren was talking to. With her back turned to Levi, all he could make out was her black hair, feminine shape and a large bag over her shoulder. A young child - probably about three or four years old - with the same dark hair-colour held onto her hand while she talked to Eren. Levi couldn't hear their conversation, but Eren nodded, yawned and scratched his hair before kneeling down to hug the kid. As he picked him up, the kid giggled and Eren took the bag from the woman. She leaned in to kiss both boys on the cheek before leaving the hallway.

Levi studied the two of them as they waved after who he expected to be the child's mother. They had at least a few things in common; the charming smiles and the messy hair, though Eren's wasn't as dark as the brat's. When Eren carried the kid and the bag inside his apartment and shut the door, Levi moved away from the door with a frown. The last thing he had expected was for Eren to have a child. It was obvious he wasn't together with the mother any more, but Levi clearly remembered Eren saying he would be living _alone_ in the apartment. Maybe he didn't see his kid very often. Levi wouldn't be surprised if the mother didn't want that asshole to play a big part in her son's life. Well, it wasn't really any of his business, and as long as he didn't have to listen to noisy children through the walls, Levi couldn't really care less. So why was he still thinking about it?

Levi sighed, annoyed with himself. He checked the hallway again before leaving his apartment, and headed towards the restaurant. Burying himself in work through Friday and Saturday almost made Levi forget all about the fact that someone had decided it was a good idea to let Eren reproduce. Until Sunday.

The shelves arrived around 4 pm, and Levi had just placed the packages neatly against a wall to make sure he wouldn't trip over them, when he heard a melodiously knock on his door. He made sure the packages wouldn't fall over, before heading towards the front-door. His mind was somewhere else - probably trying to plan out when to go to pick up Erd's power drill - because he forgot to check who it was before opening the door.

"Good afternoon, neighbour," Eren smiled as Levi froze to the spot at the sight of him - and the brat on his arm, "I hope we aren't interrupting anything, but I heard you walking around in here and I thought you might be able to help us."

Levi raised his brows, completely dumbfounded. Normally he would tell Eren to go eat a dick and make it completely clear that he would rather trot to hell on a fast horse with a porcupine-saddle, than help him with _anything_. But he _did_ have a kid with him, and no matter how much Levi disliked Eren, there was no reason to scar the brat for life. The kid looked at him with big dark eyes, exactly as indiscreet and bold as Eren. Again Levi spotted the similarities between their messy hair and confident attitudes. Under his arm hung an odd plush toy that looked more like a naked monster version of Eren, than an actual animal.

Eren pulled the kid up to sit him better on his hip and accidentally slid his shirt up a bit too. It wasn't enough for himself to notice, but the small patch of naked, tanned skin above the edge of white underwear was begging for Levi's attention, and it was embarrassingly hard _not_ to look.

"What do you want?" Levi asked dryly and glared back at Eren with annoyance.

"My buddy here needs his nap soon -" Eren looked down at the kid on his arm, who nodded and hugged the plush toy tighter, "- but he refuses to go to sleep before getting a glass of milk. And I accidentally forgot to buy some, so I was wondering if maybe you couldlend me some?"

Levi hesitated for a moment. While he really wished to avoid having anything to do with Eren, he felt a bit sorry for the brat for having such a dumbass as a father.

"Okay," he sighed resignedly, "Wait here."

He left the door ajar and hoped that Eren for once understood the meaning of personal space and boundaries, and would stay on the right side of the door. When he returned with a full bottle of milk, Eren sent him a wide smile and accepted it with his free hand.

"Will you look at that?" Eren asked as he turned his head to the kid again, "Lucky us, huh?"

The kid hummed in agreement and rubbed his eye, obviously a bit too tired to show the same amount of cheerfulness as Eren.

"Thanks a lot," Eren smiled gently at Levi, "I'll make sure to pay you back."

"That won't be necessary," Levi assured.

"No, don't worry about it, I'll make sure to -"

"Don't you think you should get back and let the brat get his nap?" Levi cut him off.

"Yeah, good idea," Eren chuckled after looking down at the tired brat, and turned to walk back to his own apartment. Levi stared after him for a moment before realizing what he was doing, and moved back to shut the door. Just before it closed completely, he heard Eren curse loudly in the hallway, followed by an admonition for the kid about forgetting he had heard that word. Too curious to stop himself, Levi opened the door again and was met with the comical sight of Eren tugging desperately at the handle, while trying to hold onto both the kid and the milk.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked, not able to hide his slight amusement by Eren's awkward posture.

"I, ehh," Eren said sheepishly and pulled the brat further up on his hip again, "I must have accidentally shut the door. I'm not sure if I remembered to bring my keys, but - no, don't worry, buddy, it'll be okay," he cut himself off to comfort the kid who had started whining anxiously, and Eren nuzzled his hair and offered him a kind smile. "Do you think you could lend me a hand?" Eren asked and looked over at Levi.

"What do you want me to do?" Levi asked as he walked out in the hallway.

"Can you maybe check if I have the keys in my pocket?" Eren asked and cocked his hip towards Levi.

"What? No!" Levi burst out and took a step back while staring at Eren's hip like it would try to eat him if he got too close, "You have arms, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I can't really put the little guy down or he'll be terribly unhappy," Eren said with forced cheerfulness in his voice as he smiled at the kid who had started whimpering again.

"Can't you just place him on the other arm or maybe just -"

"Please just help me," Eren cut him off and furrowed his brows in a serious expression. He locked eyes with Levi again while the kid clung to him while letting out muffled, unhappy sounds.

Levi took a deep breath before walking over and digging his hand into Eren's front-pocket while trying to get as little physical contact with his thigh as possible. Unfortunately, Eren's pants were quite tight and Levi couldn't ignore the muscles moving against his palm as Eren kept changing his weight from one leg to the other, trying to keep the brat calm. Levi could feel a blush threatening to break out as his hand slid down Eren's thigh before finally hitting the bottom of the pocket.

Eren looked down at him with an amused smirk as he spotted Levi's pink cheeks, but Levi refused to return his glance. He could feel Eren's eyes on him as he pulled his hand back and looked down at his feet while mumbling that there was nothing there.

"Shit," Eren hissed and tugged at the handle again, as if it was the magic word that would unlock the door.

"Shit," the kid repeated and looked at Eren with a reproachful frown.

"No, Ringo, don't say stuff like that!" Eren said seriously and turned his head towards the kid again, "Your mommy will kill me if she heard you talk like that."

The kid - who's name was Ringo,apparently - hid his mouth behind his hands as if he tried to shove the word back into his mouth, and Eren smiled and ruffled his hair before turning towards Levi again.

"Do you think I could borrow your phone to call a locksmith?"

"It's Sunday," Levi pointed out, "Why don't you just climb from my balcony to yours and enter through the door?"

"I locked the door for once to keep this little dude from making trouble," Eren sighed and looked like he cursed himself for his own thoughtfulness, "But I could try to break it in, if you don't mind...?"

Levi had no idea what came over him, but he immediately gestured for Eren to follow him into his apartment and shut the door behind them. Eren looked around curiously and commented on how nicely Levi had arranged everything, obviously in no hurry to get back to his own place.

"Could you just -" Levi pointed at the balcony with frantic movements, eager to get Eren out of his apartment again as fast as possible.

"Yeah, sure!" Eren smiled, "Can you hold this for a moment?" He handed Ringo and the bottle of milk over to Levi before he could protest. He managed to get a hold on the kid before Eren let go, and Levi looked up at him with a terrified expression, too dumbfounded to take notice of Eren's rude way of referring to his own son.

"What!? I can't -"

"It's okay, Uncle Levi won't bite," Eren said and placed a soft kiss on Ringo's forehead. Levi's eyes widened at the mentioning of biting as he remembered his dream about Eren. He looked away and hoped Eren wouldn't notice how flustered he felt as the images slid back into his mind. "I'll be right back, and then we'll go take a nap, okay?"

"Mkay," Ringo said dizzily and rubbed his eyes before grabbing onto Levi's shirt with his free hand.

"Good boy," Eren smiled before striding across the room and disappearing out on Levi's balcony. Levi looked after him before turning his attention towards Ringo, who looked like he was about to fall asleep in his arms. Then he remembered why Eren even knocked on his door in the first place.

"You want a glass of milk?" he asked as calmly as he possibly could.

Ringo nodded and pulled his plush toy up into a hug.

Levi walked over to the kitchen and placed the milk-bottle on the counter. He glanced down at the kid, not really sure how to treat or talk to him.

"Can you sit here for a moment?"

Ringo nodded again and Levi sat him down carefully on the counter. He kept an attentive eye on the brat as he reached out to grab a glass from the cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. Ringo just sat there calmly and followed Levi with his dark eyes while hugging his plush toy tightly.

"There you go," Levi said as he poured him a glass of milk and handed it over.

"That's not my cup," Ringo pouted and refused to take the glass.

"No, you're right," Levi said dryly and cocked his eyebrow, "This is _my_ glass, but I'm willing to let you borrow it. If you want the milk, you'll accept it."

Ringo looked up and locked eyes with Levi for a moment, obviously trying to figure out if he could get his way somehow. Then he placed the plush toy on the counter next to him, and accepted the glass with both hands. He drank it all in one go, and let out a loud satisfied sound as he handed the glass back to Levi.

"Thank you," he said and wiped his mouth in his sleeve. Levi couldn't help but smile as he placed the glass in the sink and looked at the brat who lifted his arms to make Levi pick him up again.

"It's no use," Eren said as he returned to Levi's apartment, "I can't get in without smashing a window." Levi cocked his eyebrow at him, suggesting that smashing a window was indeed an option. Eren smiled sheepishly; "I'd rather avoid doing that. You know, with the kid around and all."

"Don't you have a spare key somewhere?" Levi asked as he picked Ringo up again and walked over to Eren to return him.

"Yeah, my sister has one, but she's out of the country and won't be back until tomorrow. That's why I'm taking care of this little guy," he answered as Ringo dug his hands into his shirt and let his eyes fall shut.

"He's not yours?" Levi asked quickly and looked up to lock eyes with Eren again. Eren studied him with a puzzled expression for a moment before laughing softly.

"No, he's not," he assured, "Ringo is my nephew. Don't worry."

"I don't - I'm not - I mean," Levi cleared his throat and looked away, "It's none of my business."

Eren chuckled but didn't comment further on the subject. Ringo had fallen asleep on his arm and was breathing deeply with his head against Eren's shoulder.

"Well, thank you for the help, love," Eren said lowly to avoid waking his nephew, "I better go and find us a place to stay until my sister gets back."

Levi looked at the sleeping child on Eren's arm and kicked himself mentally for what he was about to say; "You can stay here until you figure something out."

"Really?" Eren asked and raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I knew you didn't hate me as much as you pretended to, baby."

"Don't push your luck," Levi warned and sent Eren a glare, "I'm only letting you stay because I feel sorry for the brat for having such a shithead as an uncle."

Eren had trouble holding back a laugh, resulting in Ringo waking up with a low whimper. He rubbed his eyes and continued making unsatisfied sounds as Levi led them to the couch where Eren put him down to rest with the plush toy in his arms. Levi grabbed a blanket from the puff and handed it over to Eren, who tugged him in and placed another soft kiss on his forehead.

As soon as Ringo was asleep again, Levi felt his stomach tense up from nervousness. He purposely avoided looking at Eren and felt desperate to distract himself from the fact that Eren Jaeger was in his apartment.

Eren could apparently sense how flustered Levi was, and decided not to tease him for once. He sat down on the couch next to his sleeping nephew and watched Levi as he started moving the boxed shelves to his bedroom with a slight blush across his cheeks.

"I'll take him to a hotel as soon as he wakes up," Eren said calmly when Levi ran out of boxes to move.

"Yeah, okay," Levi said shortly and went to the kitchen, "Do what you want." He made sure not to look at Eren as he looked through the fridge, feeling the urge to keep himself busy with something, and deciding that cooking was probably his best choice.

"Don't worry, darling," Eren said as he got up from the couch and walked over to stand on the opposite side of the counter, across from Levi. He leaned in to rest his elbows against the counter with a teasing smirk. "I'll play nicely while Ringo's around."

"I wasn't aware you had that ability," Levi huffed as he turned on the kettle to make coffee. The fact that there was a counter between them - and the fact that all his kitchen knifes were sharpened and within reach - made him feel a bit more relaxed.

"You really don't think very highly of me, do you?" Eren asked with a weird mix of bitterness and amusement in his tone.

"You make money on trash-talking people who work their asses off to serve their customers a nice meal, _and_ you just locked yourself and your nephew out of your apartment with nowhere to go. No, I don't think very highly of you," Levi smirked and poured two cups of coffee, "Milk and sugar?"

"Just milk," Eren smiled, completely unmoved by Levi's answer, "And I guess I just got a bit distracted by the thought of knocking on your door."

"I thought you said you'd play nicely."

"I am playing nicely," Eren purred and took a sip of his coffee as Levi put the milk back in the fridge.

Silence filled the apartment as Levi decided not to respond to Eren's last comment. Levi turned the mug between his hands and studied the brown liquid as the surface rippled with each move he made.

"So..." Why was he even trying to keep up a conversation? Levi had only allowed him to stay because of Ringo. He didn't need to entertain that asshat. He could technically just kick him out on the balcony and let him stay there until the kid woke up again. But that would probably make things even more awkward. "How old is he?" Levi asked, after finally finding a subject that seemed safe.

"He's three," Eren answered and took another sip of his coffee, "It's the first time he's spending an entire weekend away from his mother, but I think he's taking it pretty cool so far." Luckily it seemed like Eren was eager to keep up a conversation as well, because he continued without Levi having to ask. "My sister's husband has been working aboard for the past six months and it's been hard on her, even though she'll never admit it. I told her to go visit him this weekend and promised to take care of Ringo while she's away."

Levi responded with an understanding hum. He had to admit that was a kind gesture, but that didn't mean Eren wasn't the arrogant asshole Levi believed him to be.

"It's a very unusual name," Levi stated in lack of anything better to say.

"I guess," Eren smiled and looked over at Ringo who laid curled up on Levi's couch, "Our parents used to listen to The Beatles all the time when we were kids, and Mikasa - well, my sister - always wanted to name her son after one of the members. So she named him after Ringo Starr."

"At least he doesn't look anything like Ringo Starr," Levi huffed, "I'd feel sorry for the brat if he was as butt-ugly as him."

"Good looks run in the family," Eren smirked and winked at Levi. Levi ignored his last comment and took a long sip of his coffee instead. Eren glanced at the watch on Levi's counter and a more serious expression settled on his face. "Do you think you could look after him for a moment while he's asleep?"

"The toilet is behind the bedroom if you need to take a dump," Levi said dryly without looking at Eren.

"Nice to know, but that wasn't really what I meant," Eren said and cocked his eyebrow at Levi's sudden bluntness, "I need to go buy Ringo a toothbrush while the supermarkets are still open. My sister will kill me if I don't brush his teeth for just a single night. Can you keep an eye on him while I run down there?"

"Sure," Levi sighed. He couldn't really blame Eren for wanting to uphold Ringo's dental health. And how hard could it really be to look after a sleeping kid? Besides, after weeks of dealing with Erwin, Levi considered himself pretty suitable of looking after a three-year-old.

"Thanks, love," Eren smiled again, "I really owe you one."

"I already told you I only do this because I feel sorry for Ringo," Levi insisted and placed his mug firmly on the counter.

"I know, but I'm still grateful." Eren sent him another charming smile before leaving his mug on the counter and heading towards the door.

Levi tightened his grip on his own mug and bit his lip. "Wait a minute," he called, barely loud enough for Eren to hear it from the other end of the apartment, "If you buy a pack of cheese, you can stay for dinner. I'll make pizza."

"Are you sure?" Eren asked as he took a few steps back to look at Levi, "Ringo's pretty picky when it comes to food."

"I work as a chef, you idiot," Levi huffed and looked at Eren as if he had just asked the stupidest question ever, "I think I know how to make a fucking pizza."

"Okay," Eren beamed, "I'll make sure you get your cheese."

After he left, Levi was about ready to bite off his own tongue to make sure he would never do anything as stupid as inviting the most annoying person in the world for a dinner again. Levi let out a frustrated sound and promised to whip his own ass as soon as Eren and Ringo left. In the meantime, he would keep himself occupied by preparing the dough for the pizza.

Levi put on his apron, which was a dark shade of blue, much like the ones they used at the restaurant, and lost himself in thoughts as he placed the ingredients on the counter and began measuring. He hadn't noticed the light sound of footsteps until Ringo was standing right next to him on his toes, trying to get a look of what he was doing.

Levi almost pissed his pants when Ringo tugged at his apron in an attempt to hoist himself further up.

"Jesus fuck- I mean Christ," Levi yelped as he jumped up while Ringo just looked up at him with puzzled eyes, "You scared me."

"Where's Uncle Eren?" Ringo asked and tugged lightly at Levi's apron again.

"He'll be right back," Levi answered as he started kneading the dough again, "Don't worry." The last sentence was aimed more at himself than the kid; Levi had expected him to sleep while Eren was away, and he had no idea what to do if Ringo started crying or shat himself or whatever a three-year-old normally did.

"I want to watch," Ringo exclaimed and looked up at Levi with his dark eyes.

"There's really not anything worth watching," Levi said and returned his gaze with a shrug.

"But I want to watch," Ringo insisted and tugged at the apron again.

"Okay, hang on," Levi sighed and turned to wash the flour off his hands. Ringo followed him - still with the weird plush toy under his arm - as Levi walked over to his dinner table and grabbed a chair. He carried it back to the counter and found a spot for Ringo where he would be able to watch without getting in the way.

"I'll let you help me, but only if you do _exactly_ what I tell you to, okay?" Levi asked as he knelt down to wrap a dish-towel around Ringo's waist as a makeshift apron.

Ringo nodded enthusiastically and lifted the plush toy to let Levi check if the dish-towel was properly attached.

"The teddy, whatever-it-is, has to go," Levi stated as his first condition. The fact that Ringo apparently carried it everywhere made Levi's stomach turn from the thought of the bacteria-bomb it probably was.

"But Rouge wants to help too," Ringo said and tried to convince Levi with a charming smile, much like Eren's. He held up the odd plush toy as if he was introducing them to each other. Levi frowned at the worn toy.

"Teddies are not allowed in my kitchen."

"He's not a teddy, he's a giant," Ringo informed in a matter of fact tone, and held out the odd creature for Levi to study.

"A giant?" Levi asked and cocked his eyebrow, "Well, if he really is a giant, he should be able to watch from the couch, don't you think?'

Ringo looked back at the couch where the blanket had been tossed to the floor. He looked like he was thinking hard, trying to figure out if Levi was right. Then he ran back to the couch and placed the plush toy on top of a pillow, before returning to Levi with a proud smile.

"You were right," he beamed and looked up at Levi with anticipation.

"Okay, now -" Levi helped Ringo climb the chair and pushed it over to the sink, "- you need to wash your hands very thoroughly with lots of soap. If you get flour or anything else on your hands, you can wipe it off on the apron, okay? Not on your clothes, it'll get dirty. Just use the apron."

"Okay," Ringo said cheerfully while Levi helped him pull up his sleeves and rub the soap onto his hands.

"And you can't touch anything else while we're cooking, do you understand? Don't scratch your hair or rub your eyes or pick your nose or anything like that."

"I understand!" Ringo beamed, obviously thrilled to help out in the kitchen. Levi couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He knew he would have to keep an eye on his hands though, since Ringo probably would forget about everything he had just said, as soon as he got his hands on the food. Levi positioned himself next to Ringo and let him help kneading the dough. Ringo seemed completely caught up in the task, when he suddenly turned his head to look up at Levi.

"Are you and Uncle Eren friends?" he asked curiously.

"No, I wouldn't say that," Levi answered honestly and pulled the dough away from Ringo to make sure it was ready for resting.

"Why not?" Ringo asked after wiping his hands on the apron just as instructed.

"Because your uncle and I barely know each other."

"But... we don't know each other very much," Ringo pointed out as he kept looking at Levi in puzzlement.

"No, we don't," Levi agreed, not really sure what Ringo was trying to deduce from their conversation.

"But you're my friend," he then said after giving it a moment of thought.

"Am I your friend?" Levi asked surprised and stopped to look at the kid for a moment.

"Yes."

"That's very sweet, Ringo, thank you." Levi wasn't really sure what else to say, but it _was_ very sweet nonetheless. He smiled at Ringo while grabbing the bowl for the dough and covering it up.

"So are you and Uncle friends too?" Ringo asked again while fiddling with a bit of dough that was stuck between his fingers.

"No, I don't think we are," Levi repeated, though he considered telling Ringo they were, just to put an end to his confusion. On the other hand, if the brat told Eren that Levi had said they were friends, he would never hear the end of it. If only Eren wasn't so damn annoying, everything would be a lot easier.

"Why not?"

"Because your uncle is an asshole." He had said it without thinking and it was too late to take it back now. Shit.

"Asshole..." Ringo repeated thoughtfully.

"Y-yeah, but..." Fuck, what was he supposed to do now? "He doesn't know. Its a secret! Shh!"

"Ooh..." Ringo's eyes shone at the mentioning of a secret as if Levi had offered him something precious. He let out a playful giggle before mimicking the sound Levi had made; "Shh!" He hid his mouth behind his hands and giggled again.

"No, brat, if you want to help me cook, you have got to keep your hands away from your face," Levi sighed, and pulled Ringo's hands away gently. It was hard not to smile though. The brat was absolutely adorable.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Levi. I'll wash them again," Ringo apologized and reached out to the sink, waiting for Levi to turn on the water for him.

Ringo tried hard to live up to Levi's conditions, but after getting his hands scrubbed seven times, he settled on watching more than actually helping. He studied Levi curiously as Levi fried bacon and cut up cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from the pots on his balcony. The brat asked him about almost every single action, and Levi ended up feeling like he worked in a TV kitchen.

Both of them looked up when they heard a loud knock on the front-door. Levi washed his hands quickly and picked up Ringo who dug his flour-covered hands into his shirt to hold on, but Levi decided not to scold him.

"I'm sorry it took so long," Eren said, and his smile widened a bit as he saw Ringo clinging to Levi like they were already best friends, "I picked up a few other things while I was down there."

"What - the entire store?" Levi asked as Eren pushed past him with two large shopping-bags in his arms. He smirked down at Ringo who let out an amused giggle, while Levi shut the door and followed Eren back to the kitchen.

"No, but -" Eren said and dug into one of the bags, "- I got you this." He pulled out two small pots with fresh herbs.

"Thanks," Levi mumbled surprised as he picked one up and allowed Ringo to smell it before he did the same himself. He could feel Eren's eyes on him, sense the smile spreading across his face, and he felt a blush sneak in on him again. Had Eren bought him flowers or chocolate or some other useless shit, he would probably have shoved it up his ass and kicked him for thinking Levi would ever want anything from him. But this was actually something he could use. And the fact that Eren had actually noticed which herbs he was missing on his balcony, was actually very - no. Levi put down the rosemary with a loud thud and cleared his throat. "Did you bring the cheese?" he asked dryly and walked over to let Ringo back down on the chair.

"Of course." Eren began unpacking but kept his eyes on Levi most of the time. He had bought more than just cheese; apparently Eren intended to spoil Ringo rotten with all kinds of sweets and whatever toys he had come across in the supermarket. He had also bought beer to go with the meal and apple juice for Ringo, plus a lot of totally unimportant things he planned on bringing to the hotel room later.

In a very short time, he had filled Levi's fridge with chicken nuggets, french fries and other kinds of cheap junkfood. Eren tried to explain how picky the brat was, but Levi just frowned at all the shitty food his kitchen had been pestered with. Ringo, on the other hand, was only interested in watching Levi as he rolled out the dough and cut them up to smaller buns before flatting them out into mini pizzas. Levi ordered Eren out of the kitchen as soon as he was done wasting up space.

"Don't take it personally if he doesn't eat them," Eren assured and leaned against the counter on the opposite side, "He's never agreed to even taste pizza before."

"Don't worry," Levi said while placing little slices of pepperoni on the pizzas, "I'm used to dealing with much more difficult critics."

Eren let out a low chuckle, but didn't say anything. He pushed himself away from the counter and went back to sit on the couch.

"Asshole," Levi mumbled to himself before giving each pizza a squint of olive oil and a half cherry tomato on top, and asked Ringo to step back as he placed the dinner in the oven. "Can you ask your uncle to set the table?"

"Yes!" Ringo exclaimed with a wide smile and ran over to Eren who was looking through last months edition of Culture & Living, that Hanji had left for Levi when she helped him move in the last furniture. "You have to set the table, Uncle Asshole!"

Levi turned around with wide eyes. Eren was staring at the kid with a dumbfounded expression on his face, obviously trying to figure out if he had heard correctly. Levi had to turn his back to his guests again as he hid his mouth behind his hand. His shoulders shook from suppressed laughter and he grabbed onto the counter to steady himself.

Back on the couch, Eren studied Levi with a pleased smile. He ruffled Ringo's hair but didn't scold him for his choice of words, even though he might get in trouble himself if Mikasa heard Ringo talk like that.

The three of them ate together without accidentally letting out more curse words or profanities. Ringo didn't hesitate to grab a mini pizza and take a huge bite as soon as they landed on his plate, and Eren looked at him with wide eyes as his _'oh so picky'_ nephew suddenly wasn't that picky any more.

"This is _very_ delicious," Eren said after taking a bite of one of the perfectly cooked pizzas with pepperoni, crispy bacon, fresh tomato and a little bit of basil.

"I know," Levi said smugly and looked down at Ringo who was stuffing himself, before sending Eren another self-satisfied glance, "If only you'd realize that my food down at the restaurant is _at least_ this delicious, my job would be a lot easier."

"I've never said it wasn't," Eren hummed and took a sip of his beer, "Actually - everything here looks extremely delicious."

Levi kicked him under the table - _hard_ \- and Eren let out a pained sound of surprise. Apparently it was enough to remind him that he had promised to play nicely while staying there, because he helped Levi with the dishes without dropping more suggestive comments. Levi blamed the beer, but while they talked in the kitchen, Levi _almost_ forgot how annoying Eren usually was.

"Thanks again, love," Eren murmured after handing over the last plate to Levi, who placed it in the cabinet where it belonged, "We should probably get going now."

"Yeah," Levi said and took a sip of his beer.

"I'm sorry if we ruined your plans for the evening," Eren's white teeth shone in the dim light of the kitchen, "But... I really enjoyed spending time with you."

"Well, you _did_ ruin my plans," Levi stated and tried to ignore how his cheeks felt a bit warm all of a sudden, "I was going to pick up my friends power drill and get all my shelves and pictures up on the walls, but now I'll probably have to wait another week before I've got the time."

"You can borrow mine," Eren offered.

"No, it's okay," Levi said quickly. He had already interacted more with Eren than intended and he didn't plan on keeping it up.

"You'll borrow mine," Eren insisted and emptied his second beer before walking over to the couch and his nephew, "Are you ready to leave, buddy?"

"Yes," Ringo cheered and jumped down from the couch. He ran directly over to Levi and waved his arms up at him. Levi knelt down and let the brat wrap his arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Bye bye, Uncle Levi."

"Bye, brat," Levi smiled and ruffled Ringo's hair as he let go, "Thanks for helping out with the food."

Ringo smiled proudly before turning back to the couch to pick up his odd plush toy and then ran over to grab Eren's hand. Levi got back on his feet and followed them to the front-door to properly say goodbye.

"I'll come by with the power drill tomorrow," Eren smiled after picking up his nephew again, "And let me know if you need help with -" he looked Levi up and down, "- anything else."

Of course he had to break his promise just before leaving. So much for _playing nicely._

Levi blushed hard and slammed the door before Eren noticed. Because that was of course much less conspicuous behaviour. _Way to go, Levi. That was really smooth._ He pressed his back against the door and listened. He could hear Eren chucking on the other side and Ringo asking what he was doing.

Now that he was actually alone again, it dawned on him what he had been doing; he had actually _helped_ Eren, and spent time with him. Eren hadn't been as excruciating as usual, but that didn't make it okay! If any of his co-workers had seen him - Levi didn't even dare think about the mental breakdown he would cause Erwin.

Levi sighed and went back to the living-room to turn on the TV. He hoped it would distract him from the fact that he had actually had a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Personally I don't think this chapter is as funny as the others, but I hope I made up for it in fluff and cute interaction. Ringo is my first OC ever, so I really hope it worked out well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is just not very kind towards Levi.

"Why do I have to waste my time on this?" Levi asked annoyed, as Hanji dragged him down a quiet and dirty street, close to where she lived.

"Because it's your fault I'm feeling kind of lonely now," Hanji answered and shot him a look of reproach, "If you hadn't slept on my couch for almost three weeks, I wouldn't have gotten used to having a room mate."

"A cat is not a room mate!"

"No, but I don't really have enough space for an actual room mate," Hanji stated and pulled him over to a grey building that looked more like a prison than a cat shelter.

"But why do I have to help you pick one out when I don't even like cats?" Levi grunted, while Hanji pushed the door-bell and they entered the building, "My time is fucking precious, you know. I could have gone to Erd's place to pick up his power drill instead of going here with you."

"No, he's spending the day with The Screamer, so there's no way you'd go today," Hanji smiled knowingly, "I called him and asked, just to make sure you wouldn't come up with some dumb excuse for not going with me. Besides, you don't have to help me pick one out."

"Then why am I here?"

"For comparison," Hanji said as if it was the most obvious thing ever, "I want one that looks exactly as grumpy as you."

"I'm don't look grumpy!" Levi pouted and dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "I just look a bit tired after not sleeping very well at night."

"Is your handsome neighbour keeping you up?" Hanji teased as they walked up the stairs to the reception desk.

"No, I'm trying to ignore that he's even there." Technically Hanji was right - his recurring dream about Eren _was_ what kept him up at night. His job didn't wear him out that much any more since he got used to the schedule Erwin had set for him. But it was practically impossible for him to fall asleep again after dreaming about Eren.

"Oh, really?" Hanji asked and turned to look at Levi a few meters from the bored-looking woman behind the desk, "That's funny, 'cause I know for a fact that you spent the weekend together." Levi's eyes widened a bit, but before he could say anything, Hanji strolled over to the desk. "Good morning, I'm here to pick out a companion for my boring life!"

Levi waited impatiently to defend himself and make it _very_ clear to Hanji that he didn't _'spend the weekend'_ with Eren, while they followed the bored-looking woman into the shelter, where all types of cats were placed in cages on top of each other.

Hanji chatted away with the woman, who looked like she would prefer to get back to her counter and leave it to Hanji to decide what kind of pet she wanted. Finally, Levi lost it and asked the woman to give them some time alone, and she left without saying a word.

"I didn't spend the weekend with him!" Levi said as soon as the door closed behind the woman, "I just helped him a bit because the idiot locked himself out while taking care of his nephew."

"I know, he told me," Hanji smiled while walking over to a cage to take a closer look at the info about the black cat in there, "He also told me you let them stay for dinner and even took care of his nephew while he was out buying groceries."

"I can't believe you're talking about me behind my back," Levi stated while glaring at the furball inside the cage.

"You wish," Hanji said dryly and moved on to the next cage, "I have better things to talk about than you. I just asked him how his weekend was, and then he told me he had a _very_ good time at your place."

"We didn't spend time together," Levi frowned and followed Hanji around without paying attention to the pets, "I just felt sorry for the kid. I only did what anyone else would have done."

"No one who dislikes kids as much as you do, would voluntarily take care of a three year old," Hanji smirked, "Oh, look at him!" She had stopped by a cage with a cat with light brown fur and white paws. It looked like a full-grown cat, yet a rather small and slender breed. The cat moved over to the bars of the cage as soon as she stopped, and looked at her with wide eyes.

"He doesn't look anything like me," Levi huffed, before remembering that he _didn't_ want Hanji to pick a cat just because it looked like him. Luckily she seemed too busy with the cat to notice he said anything.

"Oh, look at how curious he is!" Hanji beamed as the cat sniffled her hand while still paying attention to every move she made, "I want him, he's so cute! Go get the woman, I'll keep an eye on him to make sure no one steals him!"

Levi wanted to tell her that there was no one there besides them, but she was completely caught up in talking to the cat between the bars. "What's your name, baby?" he heard her ask sweetly as he walked towards the door. He looked back to see her study the information on the side of the cage, before turning her head to the cat again. "You're coming home with me, Moblit."

 

* * *

 

"What would you say, if I asked you to be in charge tonight?"

"Excuse me?" Levi asked as he almost dropped his apron when Erwin suddenly spoke up from right behind him.

"You know, take care of the restaurant," Erwin said thoughtfully, "Give out orders. Close down tonight."

"I can do that!" Levi said eagerly while tying the apron around his waist. Erwin smiled but seemed a bit troubled, and Levi decided to follow him back to his office, even though he was supposed to start up the kitchen. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes!" Erwin said and smiled forcefully, "Yes, everything is just fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Erwin -"

"No," Erwin admitted and ripped the door open to his office. He walked right over and dumped down on the couch with a defeated sigh. "No, nothing is fine."

"What's going on?" Levi asked and closed the door behind him.

"I just received the latest report on the Phoenix-chain from Zackly," Erwin sighed while staring desperately into the ceiling, "My restaurant has the largest deficit of all the restaurants, and if that doesn't change soon, he'll shut us down in order to save the other two restaurants."

"What will happen then?" Levi asked, even though it was probably a stupid question.

"What will happen?" Erwin repeated and looked at Levi with wide eyes. He let out a loud sigh and sunk back in the couch before continuing in a very dramatic tone; "Well, some of you may just get transferred to one of the other restaurants, but _I_ will definitely get fired. Like I would work under Nile or Riko, that bitch. No way, it's completely over for me. I'm going to a meeting with Zackly, Nile and Riko tonight, to discuss how we deal with this disaster."

"I thought things had gotten better after Zackly's interview on TV?" Levi asked in puzzlement and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Yes, _better_ , but not good enough," Erwin sighed, "It's hopeless!"

"Let me take a look at the financial accounts then," Levi offered, "I'll help you come up with ideas on how we can save money so the restaurant won't have to shut down."

"It's a little late when the meeting is this afternoon, don't you think?" Erwin huffed without looking at Levi.

"Then set up another meeting in a few days when I've had time to look at the paperwork," Levi said, having trouble hiding his annoyance. How did this man even manage to become a boss in this restaurant?

It took a couple of minutes, but Levi managed to talk Erwin into setting up another meeting with Zackly. Somehow the man managed to make it sound like it had been his grand plan all along, and when Levi left the office, Erwin was talking to Zackly on the phone, telling him how he needed a few days to properly look through the paperwork to see if he could come up with cheaper solutions on some of the expenses.

Levi went back to the kitchen just in time to help Sasha start up the kitchen. Erwin didn't come down from his office before Gunther, Petra and Aurou clocked in around 4 pm, leaving the chefs peacefully alone. When Erwin did leave his office, his mood had lightened up a lot, and he seemed as confident as usual when he told them he had a meeting to attend to, and that he had decided to leave Levi in charge. Sasha sent Levi a wide smile, silently congratulating him on the huge responsibility, but the other three chefs didn't show any reaction to Erwin's decision. Erwin listed up the tasks he wanted to make sure was performed, as if Levi hadn't been working here for weeks now. Shortly after, Erwin left with an even bigger smile than he had when he came down there.

Levi told his co-workers to get started and they did without a fuss. Erwin had told him the paperwork was ready for him in his office, and since there weren't that many customers, Levi decided to bring some of it down to the kitchen and look through it while there wasn't much to do anyway.

When he entered Erwin's office again, Levi's jaw dropped; the desk was filled with stacks of lose papers, none of them in folders. He suddenly understood very well how things had ended up so bad for the restaurant. One thing was Eren's bad reviews, but the fact that Erwin apparently kept no track of the expenses didn't exactly help.

He sighed while picking up a stack of papers, and brought them back to the kitchen. He found a corner to put the stack down, where he would be able to keep an eye on the entire kitchen, while making sure he wasn't in the way of his co-workers.

Without much else to do, he started reading through the papers. Things weren't as bad as he first thought, but there was no doubt that some things needed improvement. Levi sorted the papers out as he looked through them, and was starting to get a good understanding of the state of the restaurant, when his phone started ringing. He picked up without thinking.

"Yes?"

"Do you still need my power drill?"

Levi pulled the phone away from his ear to glare at the number on the screen. While he realized by the teasing tone that it was Eren, he wondered why he hadn't saved his number on his phone - to make sure he could avoid him.

"I'm at work," he hissed, "Why are you calling me?"

"I haven't been able to catch you the last couple of days," Eren hummed, "I've missed you, baby."

"Yeah, well - I'm at work," Levi said annoyed, and turned his back to his co-workers to make sure no one saw the slight blush that coloured his cheeks.

"Yeah, you just told me that." Levi could hear the smirk in Eren's voice, and looked back nervously. It felt so wrong to stand in the middle of the restaurant and talk to Eren Asshole Jaeger. "I'll probably be asleep, dreaming about you, when you get home tonight, so come by tomorrow to pick up the power drill."

"No, I really don't need your -" Levi paused for a short moment as he looked back over his shoulder again, "- your power drill."

"I really want to see you, darling. If you don't come by to pick it up tomorrow, I might end up sneaking onto your balcony just to get a glimpse of you," Eren teased.

Levi wanted to yell that if Eren dared to cross the wall between their balconies, he wouldn't hesitate to skin him alive and turn his ass into a summerhat. But he would attract too much attention from his co-workers, and he would have to explain himself afterwards, which he would definitely prefer to avoid. Besides, he had finally gotten a chance to be in charge of everything, and he didn't want anyone to report back to Erwin that he was yelling profanities on his phone in the middle of a serving.

"Can't you just place it outside my door or on my balcony or something?" Levi asked dryly, even though he already knew there was no way Eren would miss a chance to piss all over his mood.

"Like I said, I've missed you, baby," Eren purred, "Maybe you'd prefer I come down to the restaurant and hand it over there instead."

"Fine," Levi hissed and lowered his voice a bit, "I'll come by tomorrow, but you better have it ready to hand it over right away. I'm busy." He hit the end-call button before Eren could manage to answer and this time he made sure to save the number for future avoidance. _Ass With Ears._ A very suitable name.

"Hey _'boss'_ -" the word was spoken with an impressive amount of sarcasm, "- we don't talk on our phones in the kitchen." Levi looked back at Aurou with a tired glare. His co-worker frowned at him; "Most people would have learned the rules by now."

"And most people would understand that it's common sense for the person in charge to answer the phone in case it's important for the business," Levi said calmly. The call had nothing to do with business, unless making sure Eren would stay away counted as business. Aurou had the tendency to get on his nerves, but it was still nothing compared to dealing with Eren. "But I guess common sense isn't really that common after all."

"Look, I don't care if Erwin hired you to be his right hand, but rules are rules," Aurou hissed, obviously provoked by Levi's words and attitude, and he took a step closer to Levi, "You're not going to get special treatment."

"Shut up, Aurou," Petra slammed the back of his head with a huge wooden spoon. He let out a pained yelp and pressed his hands against the spot she had hit to sooth the pain. "God, you're such an idiot."

"B-but Erwin always says -" Aurou whined and looked down at Petra who was standing with her hands on her hips.

"Erwin is not here, you moron." Petra lifted the spoon again, ready to slap him again, but lowered it as Aurou took a step back. "And Erwin left Levi in charge of the restaurant tonight, and we are going to help him out. Do you really think you're helping him now?"

"I'm sorry, Petra, I'll get back to work," Aurou apologized and ran away before she raised the spoon again.

"Don't mind him," Petra said and turned to Levi as her expression softened, "You know how he hates to be ordered around. He thinks he's a God's gift to the restaurant."

"Somehow I don't think he minds _you_ ordering him around," Levi said and raised a brow at Petra.

"Nah, he's just afraid of my spoon. You don't mess with a woman who kneads dough all day long," Petra said and let out a giggle. Aurou looked back at them at the sound of her laugh and frowned before getting back to work. Petra was completely oblivious to his affection. "So, what are you doing?" Petra asked curiously and swung the spoon back and forth.

Levi followed her glance to the stack of paperwork between them on the counter. He had promised Erwin not to tell his co-workers how close they were to shutting down, but he wasn't really sure how to explain why he was going through all the paperwork.

"You don't have to come up with an excuse," Petra smiled and took a step closer to the counter. She kept her voice down and her face turned serious as she continued; "I think I know what's going on, even though Erwin tries to hide it."

"Do the others know?" Levi asked lowly and glared back at Aurou and Sasha who were standing a few meters away from them, but the noise in the kitchen kept them from hearing anything.

"No, I don't think so," Petra answered, "I won't say anything if you promise to do me a little favour."

"What?" Levi asked dryly.

"Just give me a little warning if you can see that it's completely hopeless. I'm not going down with this restaurant, and there's no space for another desert chef in the other two restaurants."

Levi locked eyes with her while thinking about her request. It wasn't really much to ask for, and he wasn't really sure he agreed with Erwin on keeping it a secret for the staff in the first place.

"Fine, but you better keep your mouth shut then. Especially to Erwin. He'll just get a nervous breakdown if he finds out," he sighed and turned his attention towards the paperwork.

Petra sent him a satisfied smile as her expression grew softer again. "You know, I used to study economics before I switched to culinary school," she said and picked up a piece of paper to scan through it, "I could help you plan out a new budget."

"Really?" Levi asked and cocked his brow as he looked up at her again.

"Yeah," Petra said sweetly, "Well, it's been quite a few years, but I've still got it."

"I'd appreciate it," Levi said gratefully, "Why haven't you offered Erwin that before?"

"I have," Petra smiled bitterly, "But as you probably know by now, it can be a bit difficult to make him listen. Anyway, it looks like you've got quite a task ahead of you," she nodded at the documents, and Levi remembered that this was only about a third of what he had to go through, "Let me know when you're done and we'll take a look at the budget."

She smiled and turned away from the counter to go back to her task. Aurou looked after her and then shot Levi a dark look before turning his attention towards the pot in front of him again.

  

* * *

 

Even though he had gotten home late the previous night and spend almost an hour in bed with the documents he had brought home with him, Levi got up early the next day. He had to go get Eren's power drill before he actually made action of his threats to climb the balcony, but he also wanted to go through more of the paperwork before clocking in around lunch.

Levi enjoyed his morning coffee while continuing where he fell asleep last night with the paperwork, until he finally could hear Eren bumping around next door. He got up from his seat and finished his coffee, before getting dressed and walking out into the hallway.

He knocked hard on Eren's door and took a step back. He could hear Eren walk around in there, making an awful lot of noise, and he crossed his arms over his chest in impatience.

The door was ripped open and Eren's dazed face appeared with a tooth-brush sticking out of his mouth and hair even messier than usual. He looked confused at first until his eyes fell on Levi. Eren took a step closer and leaned against the door-frame with a casual smirk on his face.

Levi, on the other hand, had let his arms drop to his sides and taken a step back. His eyes widened a bit as he looked down over Eren's almost completely naked body. The only piece of cloth that hid his tanned skin, was a pair of black boxers - and a pair of fluffy pink bunny slippers. Even though the slippers were very eye-catching, Levi didn't pay any attention to them. He managed to keep his eyes from wandering to the _very_ tight piece of underwear - but taking his eyes away from Eren's torso was practically impossible. Eren was surprisingly muscular, though it shouldn't really be that much of a surprise to Levi after digging through Eren's pocket and getting a good feel of his brawny thigh. But actually _seeing_ it was a whole other thing.

Shadows marked every single muscle and made them stand out a bit more than they probably really did. It was an extremely impressive 8-pack he was equipped with, however, and the slight markings of his hips stood out, leading down to disappear under his boxers in the shape of a V.

A thin line of dark brown hair led from his navel down between the lowest two muscles of his 8-pack and ended somewhere below his black underwear. Not that it seemed like it multiplied, because the edge of the boxers hung _very_ low on his hips, and along with the tightness of the fabric, it didn't really leave much for the imagination.

Levi swallowed hard and it took a lot of him to force his eyes away from Eren's chest, when the muscles moved under the skin as he changed his weight to lean against the other side of the door-frame. His shoulders were slightly wider than they seemed when he was wearing clothes, and his arms were muscular but not enough to make him look like he was on steroids. Not that anything else indicated that he was ...

"Morning, love," Eren murmured hoarsely after he pulled the tooth-brush out of his mouth. He wiped a bit of toothpaste off his lip with his thumb and cocked his eyebrow teasingly at Levi.

"You can't answer your door like that!" The words echoed in the hallway, as Levi's voice was a lot louder than intended. His eyes narrowed a bit as he tried to force himself to focus on Eren's face only. Levi reminded himself how Hanji once told him that the eye was attracted to naked skin, and of course that was the reason it was so hard for him to not get distracted. It got a bit easier to focus when he had to scan his brain to remember why he was even there. Oh right - the power drill.

"Why not?" Eren smirked and lifted his arm to rest against the door as he shifted his weight again. The muscles moved under the tanned skin and he showed off the faint lines that marked his ribs. "I don't mind you seeing me like this at all."

"I could have been a fucking girl scout, you sick asshole!"

"Well, you're blushing like one," Eren smirked and cocked his hip.

"It's the heat," Levi mumbled and finally managed to regain control over his expression. He had to come up with an explanation, a lie, _anything_ to wipe that annoying smirk off of Eren's face. "I've been moving my furniture around all morning. Some of us actually don't sleep all day."

"Oh yeah, you're right," Eren said and his expression turned more serious as he leaned a bit closer to study Levi's face, "You _do_ look kind of hot. Don't you want to come inside for a moment and cool down a bit?" The smirk returned to his face with the last few words, and it was obvious he was still teasing.

"I live _right_ next door, remember? I think I can make it home, no matter how close I might be to a heatstroke," Levi huffed and hoped it wasn't showing how great an effort it took for him not to let his eyes wander from Eren's stupid face.

"Oh, I remember you live in there," Eren hummed and hooked his thumb on the edge of his underwear, "I never forget that, darling."

"I'm actually very busy right now," Levi stated dryly and looked at Eren as calmly as he could, "So if you'd just give me your power dick- _drill!_ Your power _drill!_ Power drill." Levi's eyes widened against his will as his mind registered what he had said. It was way too late to take _that_ back, and the more he repeated the word, the more obvious it became that he had made a mistake. So much for trying to keep himself under control. "Your power drill."

Eren couldn't hold back a laugh and his hand shot up to hide his pearly white teeth behind the back of his hand, as he tried to stop it. Levi was ready to turn on his heel and leave - hell, he was ready to leave the fucking country! Fuck the great apartment, fuck the good job - he had just asked Eren Asshole Jaeger to give him his _power dick._ Yep, he would definitely have to move to the North Pole now.

"Hang on, love, I've got it right here," Eren said just as Levi was about to make a move to run away. Eren disappeared from the door and Levi froze for a moment as a million thoughts ran through his head. If Eren pulled out his dick now and told him it was already _'powered up'_ or some other stupid shit like that, Levi would kick Eren's teeth so far down his throat, that he would have to brush them through his ass. "You know how to work it, right?" Eren asked as he returned to the door.

Levi took a short moment before turning his head to look at Eren again. Surprisingly enough, he was holding a yellow power drill and a box containing the affiliated accessories.

"It can't really be that hard, can it?" Levi said coldly and reached out to take it from Eren.

Eren locked eyes with him and smirked again; "Well, in case you find it _hard_... you know where to find me."

Levi ripped the power drill and the box out of Eren's hands and ran back to his own apartment without answering. He slammed the door hard and rested his back against it after making sure it was locked thoroughly. _'Power dick'_ \- _why_ would he even say that?!

Luckily he didn't get much time to think about it. Levi barely managed to make it to his living-room with the power drill, before his phone rang. As he picked up, he didn't get to say a single word before Erwin's voice filled the speaker;

_"Why did it take you so long to pick up? You have to come down here right now, Levi, Gunther just quit and Sasha called in sick! Get down here_ now! _"_

"Erwin, the restaurant doesn't open in another three hours, what's the problem?" Levi sighed after his boss finally stopped yelling.

_"The problem? The problem is that I have to call Zackly and tell him that my employees are running away, and -"_ Erwin continued pointing out all the aspects of _'the problem'_ and Levi let the phone fall from his ear as he placed the damn power drill on his coffee-table and went out to get his shoes and a thin jacket to pull over his shirt. He knew it would end up late before he could leave the restaurant again, and it had started getting a lot colder at night as fall closed in. Erwin was still yelling desperately on the phone, when Levi peeped through the door viewer to check the hallway. He managed to cut Erwin off and inform him that he was already on his way, before sneaking out, shutting his door silently and running down the stairs - just to make sure Eren didn't hear him.

 

* * *

 

Levi was more than exhausted when he finally got back home. He praised himself for bringing the jacket, even though it was still chilly walking home in the middle of the night. He really didn't have the energy to deal with his fear of elevators, and dragged himself up the stairs to the second floor.

He unlocked the door and kicked off his shoes before walking into his living-room and bumping down on the couch. He leaned back and rested his head against the wall between his and Eren's apartment. The stupid power drill was still laying on his coffee-table and reminded him about the slip of his tongue earlier that day. _'Power dick'_ \- this would haunt him for life.

He knew he should go to bed. He really should, so he could get a proper night's sleep and get up early to put up those damn shelves. But it was so nice to sit there with his head against the cold wall. So comfortable to relax. So nice ...

Levi woke up by the sound of soft knocks on his door. He squinted his eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness in his apartment, and got up to answer the door. His dazed grey eyes were met with shining green ones.

"How's it going with the shelves, baby?" Eren asked and took a step closer, blocking Levi from closing the door.

"Not very good," Levi answered honestly, "I haven't had time to do anything yet."

"Then let me do it for you," Eren hummed and pushed his way into Levi's apartment.

Levi didn't protest but followed Eren through the apartment until he stopped in the middle of the living-room, where he turned to face Levi again. A bit of moonlight shone through the balcony-door and bathed Eren in soft grey colours and made his green eyes stand out that much more. He picked up the power drill from the coffee-table and walked over to the wall where the shelves were placed.

Levi sat down on the couch and leaned back to study Eren. Eren didn't move, but held the eye-contact with a teasing smile. Then he put down the power drill again and grabbed the edge of his shirt between his fingers. Levi watched as he moved his hands up slowly, lifting the fabric away from his skin. His stomach was hidden in shadows, until his arms moved up over his head. The skin stretched over his muscles, and his ribs stood out against the hollow deepening underneath as he pulled the shirt over his head.

Eren's pants slid down on his hips a bit before his arms sunk down again slowly and he bit his bottom lip as he locked eyes with Levi again. Levi got up from the couch and walked over to Eren, while he let his shirt fall to the floor.

"If you ask nicely, I might let you touch," Eren purred as Levi stopped in front of him.

Levi shook his glance away from Eren's naked chest to look up at him with narrowed eyes. "I don't need to ask in the first place," he breathed out and let his hands slide up over Eren's exposed stomach. His fingertips caressed the soft skin and pressed lightly in between the muscles on Eren's 8-pack. The muscles moved against his palms as Eren breathed calmly while still biting his lip.

Levi let his eyes fall to Eren's chest, where a thin layer of sweat lingered over his collarbones. He leaned in and let his tongue run over the sweaty skin while his hands pressed against Eren's abs. He could hear Eren breathe out a low chuckle as he leaned back a bit to let Levi have his fun.

Eren's skin felt like silk against his fingertips and the salty taste on his tongue made him crave more. Levi leaned down to trace wet kisses down Eren's chest while his hands grabbed at his sides. The kisses turned into light bites down Eren's abdomen, and Levi licked all the little marks he placed on the tanned skin. He knelt down in front of Eren while still tracing his tongue over whatever patch of skin he could reach.

Eren let out a pleased growl as Levi let his tongue run over the the skin just above the edge of his pants. Levi tugged at the pants, completely mind-blown after exploring Eren's chest and stomach with both hands and mouth.

"You know how to work it, right?" Eren hummed in a teasing tone.

Levi looked up at him with puzzlement painted all over his face, and Eren looked down at him with a dark smirk. Levi looked down at Eren's crotch in front of him - except instead of what would normally hide behind a pair of pants, a yellow power drill buzzed aggressively ---

Levi hit his head against the wall as he jerked back in the couch. He forgot all about the weird dream for a short moment as a tearing pain shot through his head and his hands shot up to press against the aching spot.

The pain pulsated through his head, but it was no longer enough to keep the images of Eren's naked chest out of his mind. He cursed under his breath and got up from the couch. The pain momentarily intensified as he rose to his feet, and he had to grab his head to ease it.

Levi decided to get a couple of painkillers before going to bed - god, how he wished he had just done that from the beginning! - and went to his bathroom to take a piss and get the pills.

"Why do I keep dreaming about him?" Levi grumbled while washing his hands. He made sure not to look up at the mirror, though it didn't really make a difference.

_"Because he's hot and you're horny,"_ his reflection answered.

"He's not! And I hate him," Levi hissed at himself.

_"Then go get hate fucked."_

Levi glared at his reflection with annoyance before picking up a can on the sink and spraying shaving cream all over the mirror. Just to make sure he wouldn't have trouble falling asleep again, he took a few extra painkillers and went directly to bed this time. He became drowsy as he undressed but Eren's naked body kept hunting his mind as he laid down in bed. Luckily, his mind was too befuddled to really notice his half-boner, and he fell asleep without having more weird dreams that night.

Levi woke up the next morning by the sound of a melodious knock on his door. He had no idea how long he had slept and he was completely confused about where he was and what time it was. He sat up in the bed and fumbled for his phone. He had overslept, but there was still two hours left before he had to be at the restaurant. The knocking repeated itself and Levi tumbled our of bed to answer the door.

"Good morning love," Eren smiled when Levi opened the door barely enough for the two men to look at each other, "Did I wake you?"

"No," Levi lied, even though it had to be obvious from his pajama pants and his messy bed-hair that Eren did wake him up. He opened the door a bit more to properly lock eyes with his neighbor. Eren was panting a bit and sent him a wide smile while wiping a bit of sweat off of his forehead. He wore a pair on lose black shorts that stopped around his knees, along with a tank top that - to Levi's relief - hung pretty loosely too. "What do you want?"

"I just got back from a run, so I thought I might check how you were doing with the power drill?" Eren asked and let his smirk widen a bit by the last word. Luckily, Levi was too tired to blush.

"I haven't used it yet," he sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was too tired to even get annoyed at Eren. "I've been too busy - I, ehh .." he trailed off as his mind refused to work with him.

"You need a hand?"

"What?"

"With the shelves?" Eren stretched his muscles a bit, "I can put them up for you if you want."

"No, you don't have to do that," Levi reassured while trying to make his hair look a little less messy by flattening it, "I'll get it done soon and return your power drill."

"No, that's not what I meant," Eren chuckled and leaned in to rest against the door-frame to Levi's apartment, "You haven't been home much lately, so I figured you had a lot to do. I just thought I'd offer you a hand with the shelves, since you helped me out with Ringo."

Levi knew it was a bad idea to interact with Eren but he felt drowsy and was desperate to get those damn shelves up soon. He had a long day in front of him and he still needed to go through a lot of paperwork before he could work out a new budget with Petra and look into ways to save money for the restaurant. There was just so much to do and Levi longed for a day off where he didn't have to put up shelves or take care of toddlers or do anything but sleep in and watch a lot of bad TV.

"Okay," he sighed and moved away to let Eren inside, "But I have to go to work soon, so don't take too long."

"That's a request I haven't heard before," Eren smirked and walked past Levi before he could change his mind. Levi followed him into the living room and Eren continued talking. "Every time I'm here I'm surprised by how great you've decorated the apartment," Eren said and looked around, "You've really managed to give it a nice and homey feeling to it. I would never have thought of doing it like this. It really was a good thing you got this apartment."

"The shelves," Levi mumbled and pointed at the packages against the wall. He really wasn't a morning person and he had no idea how to deal with Eren's small-talk.

"Where do you want them?" Eren asked and looked back at Levi while wiping his forehead for sweat again.

"Two of them above the couch and the last one over by the dinner table," Levi answered and leaned against the counter by the kitchen.

"Do you have a pencil?" Eren asked while picking up the spirit level next to the boxed shelves and swinging it casually.

Levi nodded and walked over to dig through a drawer before finally finding a pencil. He returned to Eren and handed it over without a word.

"You don't mind if I take this off, right?" Eren asked and tugged at the tank top, "I feel kind of hot after that run."

"No!" Levi spat as his eyes widened, "I mean yes! You can't do that!"

"Why not?" Eren asked and cocked his eyebrow and paused already having pulled the top far enough off that he showed most of his stomach.

"Because," Levi paused and looked away, "You'll just sweat all over my apartment if you do that."

"Trust me, baby, I'll sweat more if I keep this on," Eren smirked and when Levi didn't say anything, he pulled off the tank top.

Levi turned away and walked back to the kitchen without saying another word. He wanted to distract himself from Eren's naked sweaty chest and the memories of how he had licked off Eren's sweat in his dream.

Eren looked after him with a smile playing on his lips before throwing his tank top in the corner of the room. He bend down to move Levi's couch far enough from the wall to prevent it from getting dirty when he started drilling. He unwrapped one of the shelves and picked up the spirit level again before making small marks on the wall where the shelf was going to hang. It was tempting to turn around and catch Levi watching him, but seeing how exhausted Levi looked lately, Eren decided to act nicely. Even though it was hard.

Levi had poured himself a bowl with cereal but he forgot everything about milk as soon as he made the mistake of looking at Eren for a little too long. Most of the time he could only see Eren's back, but it was exactly as gorgeous as his chest. The muscles were toned and the thin layer of sweat made the tanned skin look that much more smooth. His shoulders and arms looked strong and it was fascinating to see the muscles move as Eren pushes the couch away and tense up when he made the first hole with the power drill.

While trying to shake himself from his fascination with Eren's body, Levi turned to the fridge to get the milk for his cereal. While pouring it into the bowl, he got distracted when Eren turned around and showed that amazing 8-pack Levi had dreamed about last night. Getting completely flustered about the awkward boner beginning to grow in his pants, Levi made a sudden movement to make sure it would stay hidden behind the counter and accidentally knocked the bowl over, resulting in milk and cereal splashing all over the counter.

Eren looked up at Levi who's cheeks were burning red while he tried to wipe up the mess he had just made. Levi tried to hide his blush behind his bangs and god, how he wished Eren wouldn't notice. He managed to keep himself from making more of a mess while Eren walked around in his apartment, putting up shelves and the few paintings Levi had. But couldn't keep his eyes away from Eren. He pressed his crotch against one of the handles on the counter, hoping it would be painful enough to kill his boner. After a few minutes - assisted by thoughts about his noisy cousin - he finally managed to get himself under control.

He tried to convince himself that there was no harm in looking, but it was _Eren._ Everything about him seemed to be doing harm to Levi's career and life in general, and he had to keep his guards up.

After finally finishing with the shelves - and small talking - Eren picked up his tank top and pulled it back on again. Levi looked away until Eren's chest was covered up again.

"Let me know if you need help with anything else," Eren said while Levi walked him out to the door.

"That won't be necessary," Levi mumbled while opening the door for Eren.

"Well, you know where to find me if you need my -" Eren pressed the button on the power drill two times and winked at Levi. Before Levi could manage to say anything, Eren grabbed his ass and smiled teasingly. "I'll see you around, love."

Levi pushed Eren out of his apartment and slammed the door behind him. He could still feel Eren's hand burn on his butt, and it felt like it had left a permanent mark. He went back to his living-room and looked around his apartment as it was finally done. But something definitely felt off.

Levi picked up his phone from the counter. He would have to get ready soon, but he had something he needed to do.

"Hanji?" he asked as she picked up her phone, "Can I stay at your place for a couple of days?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the late update. I've been sick with a stomach flu, but I'll get back to writing now c:  
> Thank you to my usual lovely beta's, and thank you for all the comments. It makes me so fricking happy c:


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is crashing on Hanji's couch again, and she's insisting on having a pyjamas party to get some secrets out of Levi. Levi is later faced with his worst fear.

"Why is he so unfriendly?" Levi asked annoyed and pulled his hand back from the hissing cat on Hanji's shoulder.

"Maybe he just doesn't like you," Hanji shrugged and nuzzled her pet behind the ear, as if praising him for trying to attack her cousin. Moblit purred and lowered his back while keeping his wide feline-eyes locked on Levi.

"Stupid cat. I helped pick you, you ungrateful asshole," Levi hissed back, as he pushed his way into Hanji's apartment.

"He'll never like you if you talk to him like _that_ ," she sighed and shut the door behind him.

Levi ignored her last comment and dumped his bag on the floor next to the couch, where Hanji had already laid out sheets and pillows for him. She had been kind enough not to ask him what was going on when he called her earlier that day, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

Levi had spend most of the day going through Erwin's paperwork and he really hoped to finish the task the following day. He had arranged the documents in folders and made one especially for him and Petra to look through together. He had instructed Erwin on how to organize the documents and Levi really hoped he had listened for once.

It was quite late by now and Hanji looked like she was about ready to turn in for the night. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail that was even messier than usual. She wore pink pyjamas pants with cat prints and a matching top. Levi had a feeling she didn't plan on going to bed before getting what she wanted, though.

He dumped down on the couch and tried to ignore Hanji's curious look as she sat down so close to him, that she might as well have climbed onto his lap - still with her annoying fur-ball in her arms.

"So..." She tried to sound casual, but it was obvious every fiber of her being was quivering from curiosity and excitement.

Levi ignored her expectant glance behind the lowered glasses and her struggle to keep her smile under control. _Here we go, the inevitable question._

She cleared her throat to get his attention and finally got her expression and voice under control, while stroking Moblit's fur with manic motions. "I'd love to believe that you just really missed your dear cousin, but that's hardly the case. What's going on? Spit it out!"

Levi sighed. He wanted to lie and come up with some stupid excuse, but he knew Hanji wouldn't stop bugging him unless he told her something believable.

"I just needed to get away for a couple of days." Levi sighed again and rubbed his face. He didn't have anything to hide - Eren was the one doing all the harassment after all! "I haven’t had a moment of peace after I was stupid enough to allow that fucking Eren Jaeger to take care of his nephew in my apartment. So much for kindness."

"Is he seriously hitting on you?" Hanji let Moblit jump to the floor and turned in the couch with a curious look in her eyes.

"He's not _hitting_ on me, he's _harassing_ me!" Levi said frustratedly, "He's answering the door in his underwear and putting up my shelves and... he's waving at me from across the fucking balcony!"

Hanji cocked her eyebrow at him and tried to hold back a laugh. Levi let out a frustrated sigh and sled down in the couch. It mostly sounded like he was just extremely paranoid, but he refused to go into details and admit he had said _'power dick'_ and popped a fucking boner when Eren stripped in his apartment. Besides, it wasn't because it was Eren... he had just been very busy lately and it would have happened no matter what. Eren just happened to be in his apartment, half naked and sweating when it happened!

"He grabbed my ass!" Levi said, after searching his memory and finally finding proof he would actually admit had happened.

Hanji studied him for a long moment as she tried to figure out if he was serious. Then she smiled indulgently and suppressed a chuckle. "I think we need a bottle of wine for this _very_ heated talk," she hummed, _almost_ trying to hide her sarcastic tone, and patted Levi's shoulder. "Red or white?"

Levi frowned at her sarcasm as she got up and headed for the kitchen. If it wasn't for the fact that she was family and probably the only person who really got him, he would strangle her for being such an asshole. "White."

Hanji returned from the kitchen with a bottle and two glasses in her hands. Moblit was running around right behind her, watching every single move she made and acting more like a tiny dog than a cat.

Hanji looked thoughtful as she sat back down and poured the wine. "Why don't you just give him a chance? He's charming, handsome and super funny. He talked a lot about your weekend together and -"

"It was _not_ a weekend! It was _one_ evening, and I only did it -"

"Yeah yeah, you had to save the poor kid." Hanji rolled her eyes. "But he talks a lot about it, and he often asks how you're doing and stuff like that."

"I don't care. I'm super fucking busy at work! I just need to focus, okay? That idiot neighbour is invading my life."

"Then tell him you're not interested."

"Oh, so _that's_ what I'm supposed to do? It's not like I've been jumping him like a fucking puppy." _Well, only in my dreams,_ Levi thought before he could stop himself. _Nightmares!_

"You would look cute as a puppy though," Hanji stated matter of factly, studying him as she sipped her wine - obviously imagining him with fluffy ears and a collar.

"You know.. for a smart girl, you really are an imbecile." Levi grabbed his glass and took a sip; the sweet, cold wine made him relax a bit, but he was still frustrated.

"Runs in the family," Hanji uttered dryly.

Levi rolled his eyes and took another long sip. Moblit jumped up on the couch and curled up in Hanji's lap, filling the silence with a deep purr.

"I don't think I've ever seen you let anyone affect you like this," Hanji said thoughtfully after stroking Moblit's fur for a long moment.

"Nobody has ever been harassing me, invading my private space and grabbing my ass like he does."

"He deserves a prize for making you act all flustered," Hanji chuckled and pulled Moblit up into a hug like he was a plush toy.

"I'm not flustered! He just keeps taking me by surprise with his suggestive comments and ass grabbing. My gorgeous ass doesn't come with an invitation to touch!"

"I guess Eren's the type who just _grabs_ what he wants," Hanji smiled, not even trying to hide how amusing she found Levi's situation.

Levi sighed and emptied his glass. Hanji was a really good friend and without a doubt his favourite relative, but right now he just wanted to slap her. How could she not understand how frustrating this was for him?

"Hey, lighten up a bit." Hanji moved over to wrap her arm around Levi's shoulder. "Everything will be fine. Just stay here for a couple of days to distance yourself from everything that's happened." She ruffled his hair and Levi shot her an annoyed glare. He tried to flatten his hair back down while Hanji poured more wine into his glass. There was another moment of silence while Levi took another long sip of his wine.

"You need to take care of yourself, Levi."

Levi almost choked on his beverage. "I _am_ taking care of myself, but I'd appreciate if you would stay out of my... _'business'_."

"I wasn't talking about your dick," Hanji said dryly, "Even though you still need to get laid. Your ass is far too thirsty for you to settle on wrist aerobics by now."

"What are you talking about then?" Levi frowned and ignored her last comment.

"You kinda look like a mess. Your hair is getting long and your eyebrows are growing totally out of proportion. You need to take care of yourself!"

Levi pulled out his phone to study his eyebrows in the reflection from the screen. It wasn't really that bad. If she had ever met Erwin in person, she would know what 'grown out of proportion' meant. Hanji was right nonetheless - he had been too busy to take care of his appearance. "Can you cut my hair and trim the undercut?"

"Only if I get to do your eyebrows too," Hanji said with a wicked smile.

"No, it hurts when you do it!"

"That's my condition. I like doing your eyebrows."

"I want to do yours too, then."

"My brows doesn't need to be taken care of."

"They do now!" Levi sent her a stubborn glance and put his wine down, ready to defend his honour. Hanji stared back at him, just as stubbornly, but she was the first to break eye contact.

"Fine," she said calmly and for a second Levi actually thought he had won this time. Hanji grabbed her ponytail and released her hair, pulling out a pink glitter scrunchie, that should have died along with Spice Girls and the Macarena dance. Levi knew what she was up to, but decided it wasn't worth the fight.

"Jerk." He turned to let Hanji put his hair up in what she used to call a fountain on top of his head. He moved his hand up to feel the exposed undercut which, just like Hanji had pointed out, was almost non-existing by now.

"To the bathroom!" Hanji yelled as if going to war, and dragged Levi along with her. It was amazing how she could get this kind of energy just from making her cousin look like an idiot.

Levi was forced to face his poor-looking reflection as Hanji positioned him in front of the mirror and went looking for her trimmer. Levi blocked out her noise as he studied his face; his eyebrows weren't really that bad, but his hair looked like a mess - and not only because of the offending hair accessory. It really wasn't like him to let his appearance get this messy.

"Found it!" Hanji sang and smiled widely at him through the mirror as she turned on her torture device and began working on his undercut.

Levi didn't say anything, but kept a close eye on her to make sure she didn't thought of doing anything funny with his precious hair. Her expression changed to deep concentration as her brows furrowed, the tip of her tongue resting in the corner of her mouth. After a couple of minutes where the only sound in the small bathroom was the low buzz of the trimmer, Hanji pulled back and beamed at her masterpiece, while attempting to brush the hair off of Levi's shoulders.

"You almost look like your grumpy old self now."

"And you sound like your annoying old self."

"I think you dropped something, Levi!" Hanji said and looked down at the floor.

"What?" Levi looked down but couldn't see anything but black hair on the tiles. "Where?"

"It's right there, all over the floor!" Hanji bend down and grasped air between her hands. "Look, it's your good mood! You must have dropped it along with your sex life." She grabbed his cheeks and forced his face into a tense smile.

Levi sent her a death glare as she kept pulling his cheeks, which only made the 'smile' look that much weirder. "Let - go!"

"I'm just trying to cheer you up," Hanji sighed as Levi rubbed his sore cheeks.

"I don't want to be cheered up, I just want a bit of peaceand quiet. I can't get that anywhere else, that's why I came to you."

"Then slam your ass in the seat and talk to your perfect cousin." Hanji smiled again and pulled out a stool for him to sit on. She barely gave him time to sit down before yanking the scrunchie out of his hair and grabbing a comb and a pair of scissors. "Now, how do you want it, mister? The usual?"

"Yeah, no weird ideas." Levi glared up at her through the mirror but she usually knew what she was doing. Usually.

The room was silent for some time; Levi noticed how Hanji looked like she had trouble keeping her mouth shut, but he ignored it. Sadly, that wasn't enough.

"Levi, I really think you should give him a chance! You two would make such a cute couple!" Hanji squirmed as she finally found relief from what had obviously filled her mind through the last couple of minutes.

"No! I don't like him!" Levi tried to make it very clear that this wasn't up for discussion, but it was hard when he had to sit completely still to save his locks from any accidents.

"But he's a sweet guy!"

"I don't care what you think - _I_ think he's an asshole! He's working directly against me!"

"Really, Levi? Just because you think he's trying to close down Phoenix?"

"I work there!"

"It's a job! It doesn't have to affect you that much."

Levi sighed and tried to look down, but Hanji kept a firm grip on his hair while cutting it. "Ouch, you're pulling it! Also, it's not just Eren Asshole I don't want. I don't want anyone."

Hanji stopped cutting his hair for a moment to study Levi's face. "Why not?" she asked in a softer tone, knowing she would have to approach carefully if she didn't want him to clamp up.

"Everything in life doesn't have to be about romance, does it?"

"Of course not. But sometimes it's nice to have a boyfriend."

"I don't see _you_ having a boyfriend?" Levi grumbled and glanced up at her.

"Not at the moment, no. But I wouldn't say no if a really sweet guy came along." Hanji grabbed the comb and continued cutting his hair.

"I want to focus on my career right now. I've been given a really great chance by working at Phoenix and I just don't have time for a boyfriend. No, honestly, I don't want one. I just don't. It's not that weird."

"No, it's just... I want the best for you, Levi, you're my favourite cousin. You deserve a sweet boyfriend."

"So you don't think I'll be able to be truly happy without a boyfriend? That's bullshit."

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that I want you to be happy, and among other things, get a sweet boyfriend."

Levi shrugged and tried to look away again, but Hanji still kept tugging at his hair. "Aren't you about done soon? You're pulling my hair out instead of cutting it."

"Yeah yeah, soon," Hanji mumbled and continued cutting him slowly. She was much more interested in the whole subject of Levi and relationships.

Levi sighed annoyed. There was more to it than the fact that he had his career on his mind, but there was no reason to talk about it. It wasn't really that weird not to have a boyfriend at his age. He had had boyfriends before - it was just a long time ago...

"Levi?" Hanji hummed sweetly against his ear. Her smile indicated that she did her very best to persuade him to spill the beans. That woman really had a nose for secrets.

"Yes?" Levi asked through gritted teeth.

"What's on your mind?" Hanji cooed and began massaging his scalp as if that would help to loosen him up.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes!" Hanji beamed.

"Then finish cutting my fucking hair before it grows out again!"

Hanji pouted but did as told for a change. It didn't take her long to finish cutting his hair and Levi was happy to see that she actually did a pretty decent job.

"Satisfied?" Hanji asked as she held up a mirror behind him, so he could take a look at the back of his head too.

"It's acceptable."

"Then let's go back to the couch and talk! I know there's a reason for you to not want a boyfriend, and I want to know what it is!" She grabbed his arm and almost pulled him backwards over the stool in her eagerness.

"No, wait! I have hair everywhere, it's itching!" Levi yelled and pulled away from her just in time to save himself from getting a concussion.

"Then take off your clothes!"

"I'm not going to walk around naked!"

"Just because Eren wants to wham your ham, doesn't mean we all want to see you naked," Hanji commented dryly and left the bathroom. She returned shortly after with a stack of green fabrics in her hand. "Here, you can borrow this."

Levi grabbed the clothes and looked at her with a suspicious glare. His own clothes were driving him mad, though, so as soon as she had left again, he stripped down to his underwear and put on what turned out to be one of Hanji's pyjamas - consisting of a pair of shorts which didn't leave much for the imagination and a shirt which was too big for him. Levi studied his ass in the mirror and tried to ignore the bunny print. At least they didn't itch.

_"I think it's gotten wider,"_ his reflection pointed out.

"No one asked you," Levi replied dryly and turned away to leave the bathroom.

He could hear Hanji humming in the living room; she was probably opening another bottle of wine, lighting candles and trying to make it as cosy as possible. Which was the code for _'make Levi talk'_. He walked into the room just in time to see Hanji bounce onto the couch, pull her legs up and look at him in anticipation.

"Another glass of wine, dear cousin?" Hanji sang and filled his glass without giving him the chance to answer.

"Cut the crap, woman, you'll get your story." Levi grabbed the glass and took a long sip while Hanji made herself comfortable on the other end of the couch. She looked like a child waiting for her goodnight story. "You remember my boyfriends back in high school, right?"

"Thomas and Luke," Hanji said immediately.

"Yeah." Levi paused and took another sip. "As you know, I didn't really date any of them for more than a couple of months. I did like them both, though, but... I just felt cornered really easily and pressured into cutting classes to spend time with them instead. You know I despise that kind of attitude. Apparently, you're supposed to be completely infatuated with the person you're in a relationship with and not really want to do anything but spend time with him and cuddle and lay in bed all day."

"And fuck," Hanji added.

"And fuck," Levi agreed, "But school was my first priority. I don't have that cuddle-gene in me. I really enjoyed going to school and I fucking love working as a chef. I don't want to tone it down or slack off. People expect their relationship to be the first priority and that's just not me. I love cooking - I don't love cuddling and kissing and laying in bed and talking about old pets and childhood memories for _hours_."

"Not all people want to do that all the time," Hanji said and smiled gently, "Most people just want to spend time with their lover."

"I just don't have time to spend at least two nights every week with a boyfriend. I barely ever see you and Erd twice a week and you're both really important to me."

"Aww, Levi..."

"Shut up, I'm talking. I'm so busy working for Phoenix, I get extra work all the time, and I rarely ever have a day off. I just don't have time for a relationship and I don't want someone to guilt trip me about it all the time. I barely have time to clean my apartment!"

"That's not true," Hanji said calmly.

"No. But you get the point."

"Did they guilt trip you?" Hanji then asked.

"Yeah. A lot, actually." Levi scooted up in the corner of the couch and wrapped his arms around his knees. "Thomas was worse than Luke. But Luke cheated on me. He thought it was okay since I didn't have 'enough time for him'."

"Luke cheated on you? You never told me that." Hanji looked at him with sadness.

"I didn't tell anyone. He tried to blame it on me, but I just realized that I'm not like most people when it comes to romance. It's not that important to me. All my old flirts have told me I'm a cold-hearted ass and that I'm taking everything too serious."

"But you're not aversed to sex?"

"No. I enjoy it. It's just not that important either." Levi looked away. His subconsciousness seemed to think something different with all those dreams about Eren, but _he_ was in charge of his own body. "Neither of them were happy that I was so busy with school and work. They should have known, it's not like I've ever tried to hide that I'm a fucking over-achiever."

"Yeah, you were always like that," Hanji agreed.

"I really wouldn't mind the part where you have someone to come home to and someone to share a meal with, but I just love working. It's normal to put that aside to build a relationship, but I don't want to do that. My job is my first priority."

"I don't like that they hurt you, I should have kicked their asses!" Hanji frowned.

"It wasn't that bad." Levi would never admit that of course he had been hurt back then. By now, he had given up on trying to find someone who suited him and after three years without any kind of sexual or romantic relation, he really preferred it like this. "Anyway, I figured out I just don't have time for relationships. I have an affair with my career."

"Maybe if you found someone who also loves to work," Hanji smiled and looked at him with innocent eyes, "Someone who works a lot too. And is really good at it."

"I'm not going out with Eren Jaeger!" Levi put his glass down after emptying it.

"Eren Jaeger? Who said anything about him? He must be all that's on your mind, if you're thinking about him just because of that comment." Hanji smiled teasingly and grabbed Levi's shoulder and forced him closer. "Lay down, I'm gonna pluck your eyebrows now."

Levi frowned but did as he was told. He placed a pillow onHanji's lap and laid down to let her torture him yet again. Luckily, there wasn't much to pluck after all and it was over in a few minutes. After finally letting him go, she insisted on giving his face a treatment with a home-made face mask; it mostly consisted of avocados, which only left Levi witha heavy craving for nachos.

Being the eternal optimist she was, she tried to convince him that he had been unlucky with his two high school boyfriends and that he could easily find someone who would appreciate him as a working horse and not try to cuddle him to death.

Levi made sure Hanji didn't forget the other part of their deal and forced her to lie in his lap as well while plucking her eyebrows. He was amused to notice that there was a lot more work to be done with hers and took his time to remove every single redundant hair. One by one. Hanji whined and screamed in between her stories about her own ex boyfriends and what she was looking for now; someone who was adventurous and funny, and of course would love her dear pet.

They stayed up and talked until the second bottle of wine was empty. When he finally went to sleep on the couch, Levi had almost forgotten about Eren and his annoyingly gorgeous torso. Sadly, his subconsciousness hadn't.

Levi was exhausted when his alarm clock rang the next morning and while he didn't have a hangover, he just wished they had gone to bed an hour earlier. Sadly, he couldn't afford to sleep any longer, as he had to leave in an hour to get to the restaurant in time.

He rolled off the couch and got on his feet, only to realize that Hanji's pyjamas was twisted around his body, making his morning start out even worse. After getting it straight, he went to the kitchen and was surprised to see Hanji up already, preparing an almost decent looking breakfast. Moblit was sitting on the counter next to Hanji, watching every move she made, only stopping to look up at Levi with wide eyes as he walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," Levi mumbled and sat down by an empty plate by the table and took a sip of his coffee.

"Good morning, my dear cousin," Hanji beamed, a lot more energetic than usual at this hour, "Breakfast is almost ready! I hope you're hungry!"

Levi sent her a puzzled look, really not getting where all that energy came from. Had she found a way to get extra sleep or had she put something in her coffee? He looked down at the mug in his hand, but then shrugged and took another sip.

Hanji walked over with the pan and scraped off a shitload of scrambled eggs onto his plate before doing the same to her own across from him. Levi stared at the massive amount of food on the table, when Hanji placed a wall of bacon between them and sat down next to him with a wide smile on her face.

"How did you sleep last night?" she asked and folded her hands under her chin, "Sounded like you had a good dream? What was it about?"

"What are you talking about?" Levi huffed while poking his food with a fork.

"I went to get a glass of water in the middle of the night, so I had to walk through the living room. Let's just say you aren't exactly a quiet sleeper," Hanji smirked and wiggled her eyebrows at Levi.

Levi looked at her even more confused. What the hell was she - _oh._ The dream from last night resurfaced and reminded him that he had once again dreamed about Eren.

He was standing on his balcony, wearing his lose pyjama pants and Hanji's bunny-print pyjama shirt, and for some reason watering his army of fresh herbs in the middle of the night. He looked down and saw the plants Eren had bought him; they had grown a lot from their special place on the small table he had placed there to give them the best possible conditions for a long life and a great taste.

Levi leaned down and inhaled the characteristic scent of rosemary before giving the plant a bit of water. A sound from the other side of the balcony made him look up, just in time to see Eren through his balcony door - but he wasn't alone. Levi dropped the watering can as his heart skipped a beat; Eren was pressing another man up against the glass door, kissing him roughly, while the other man's hands pulled and tugged at his clothes. Levi could see Eren's hands move up under the other man's shirt as his lips moved hungrily down over his neck.

Levi moved closer to the wall separating their two balconies; he wanted to yell at them, to make it stop. When the other man turned his head to let Eren gain access, Levi's voice caught in his throat.

"Luke?" he whispered, his eyes widening in shock.

Both Eren and Levi's ex-boyfriend turned their heads to look at him.

"Eren!" Levi called out and grabbed onto the top of the wall.

Eren licked his lips before leaning in to continue making wet trails up Luke's neck.

"No, Eren! You're supposed to love me!" ---

Levi blinked as he finally shook himself back to reality and Hanji's kitchen.

"Did I... say anything?" He asked while trying to gain control over his expression.

Hanji's smile grew a bit. "Who's this 'Eren' you were dreaming about? Because of course it couldn't be _that_ Eren, right? No, that would just be silly!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Levi said dryly and looked away.

"I'm sure you know a lot of Erens 'cause you can't possibly be dreaming about the gorgeous man who lives next to you, right?"

"Hanji -"

"I mean sure, he's charming and funny and has a good job and he's really sweet and holy shit, that body is to die for but... Nah, I know you're not interested in him, so it couldn't be Eren _Smokin' Hot_ Jaeger."

"Hanji!" Levi sent her a warning glare and she turned silent, but her teasing smirk never left her face. His cheeks were burning - how could this be happening? He had never been one to talk in his sleep - why did he have to start now? He looked down and began eating his eggs. This was going to be one hell of a long day.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Within a week, the weather changed drastically and it became colder as fall came. Since Levi hadn't thought of bringing a proper jacket when he went to stay with Hanji - and he was too stubborn to borrow one from her - he had ended up with a cold. He went to work anyway, since Erwin managed to suddenly find another stack of unsorted paperwork, just as Levi had put the last paper in a folder. Levi still had to plan out the new budget with Petra, but everything had been delayed due to Erwin's ability to always find extra work for him. Despite all the trouble with the paperwork and the fact that Phoenix was still extremely close to a permanent shut-down, Erwin had sent Levi a terrified look at his first sneeze and ordered him to leave immediately.

Levi didn't really find it necessary to go home, but the thought of actually getting a day off sounded more and more appealing the longer he had to fight his way through the heavy wind outside. He could take the time to take care of himself - and make sure Hanji didn't get a reason to torment him again any time soon - and of course go over the last details before his meeting with Petra.

As he finally got through the hallway door in the building where he lived, he was just about ready to collapse. His bag was packed with paperwork and laundry - and maybe the cold was a bit worse than he would like to admit. This was one of the very few times where he would be willing to actually take the elevator instead of the stairs.

He let the bag hit the floor and dragged it the rest of the way up to the elevator and hit the button. He rubbed his face and let out a sigh as he planned out exactly how long he was going to enjoy a long warm bath all alone. Hopefully without having Eren run around knocking on his door all the time. It was too early for that annoying shithead to be home work anyway - right?

As a _ding!_ indicated the elevator's arrival, Levi reached out to open the door but had to jump back as someone opened it from the inside; apparently without taking notice that someone was waiting on the other side. Levi was about to raise his voice and tell the inattentive idiot to watch out, when he was met with a pair of green eyes he had really hoped to avoid.

Eren stopped midway out of the elevator as his eyes fell on Levi, his expression changing to a wide smile. "There you are, love! Hanji told me you've been staying at her place lately and I was really starting to wonder when I'd get to see you again."

Levi frowned. It was bad enough to run into Eren, even worse that he apparently insisted on blocking the elevator with his annoyingly wide shoulders which, by the way, was covered by the ugly over-sized coral-colored cardigan he also wore at their first encounter in the coffee-shop - but to think that Hanji had actually talked to Eren about him ...

Levi grunted and looked at Eren with tired eyes.

"You're home early today," Eren said and ignored Levi's annoyed glare, "Are you feeling ill?"

"It's just a cold," Levi mumbled. What he meant to say was 'that's none of your fucking business, you nosy asshat', but, for a change, the words wouldn't work to his favour. "Look, can't you just move your fat ass and salmon-colored parachute and let me get into the fucking elevator?"

Eren smiled and moved aside to let Levi enter, while holding the door for him. But instead of leaving and letting the door fall shut, he joined Levi in the cramped elevator and hit the 2. floor-button.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked annoyed, "You just..."

"Yeah, I forgot something," Eren lied without even trying to hide it, "So I assume you're going to stay home for a -"

Levi let out a frustrated sigh but it turned into a shocked gasp as the elevator suddenly stopped with a loud thud between two floors, and the lights went out. It was completely dark for a moment before the emergency light set in, but all light had disappeared from the panel right next to Eren.

"What did you do?" Levi asked with wide eyes. His heart was slamming against his chest like a prostitute in the trunk of a car and he prayed to everything he suddenly believed in, that this was just a sick joke Eren had come up with.

"Me? I didn't -"

"What did you do!?" Levi yelled as the panic spread through his body. He dumped his bag on the floor and pushed Eren away to frantically hit all the buttons on the panel. Nothing happened. "Fuckfuckfuckfuck _fuck!_ " he whispered to himself as his hands began to shake.

"Don't worry, love," Eren reassured him in a comforting tone and grabbed Levi's shoulders to pull him away from the panel before he broke something, "I'm sure it's just -"

"D-don't touch me!" Levi choked and pushed Eren's hands away as he backed up against the corner, clinging to himself. His palms were sweaty and he cursed himself for even thinking it was a good idea to take the elevator.

Eren's brows furrowed in worry as he studied Levi's reaction to the whole situation and he slowly realized that this had nothing to do with him. "Hey, calm down, okay?" he said gently.

"No! I-I don't know how you made t-the elevator shut down like that, b-but whatever you're planning, it w-won't work!" Levi was breathing sharply; it felt like the cramped space was closing in on him. He was sure he could hear the cables squeak above them, threatening to break. He looked around, searching for an exit, but there was none.

"Hey!" Eren raised his voice a bit to get Levi's attention. Levi's eyes shot up to Eren's; his usual flirting expression was long gone. "Just breathe, okay? I'll call the operator and get us out."

Levi gulped and nodded. He did as told and focused on taking long deep breaths. Eren watched him for a moment to make sure he could take care of himself for now, while pulling out his phone from his pocket. He found the number right under the panel and hit the call button.

Levi let his body slide down the wall and curled up in the corner with his arms around his knees. _Breathe, Levi, just breathe. Nothing is going to happen, it's just a completely normal room. Except for the fact that it's moving between floors and is called a fucking elevator and you're stuck here with Eren Fucking Jaeger!_

"No, I can't just call the caretaker. Well, because there is none assigned to this building!" Eren said annoyed after spending way too long on getting the Otis staff member to actually take action. He glanced down at Levi from time to time, but it didn't seem like Levi noticed what was going on around him, aside from being stuck. "Look, elevator-dude, I don't give a shit if your colleagues are on lunch break! Get us out of this elevator now or I'll make sure it's on the front page of every single news paper tomorrow, that you left someone with claustrophobia in one of your fucking elevators!" Eren shouted after completely losing his patience with the lazy fucker on the other end. Eren let out a sigh as he finally got the message through and the operator promised to send someone out. "Thank you."

"It's not claustrophobia," Levi murmured and hugged his knees tighter after Eren hung up.

"What?" Eren knelt down in front of him, still with his phone in hand and an attentive expression on his face.

"It's not claustrophobia," Levi repeated and looked up at Eren, "I'm just not very comfortable with elevators."

"No, I can sense that," Eren said calmly and offered Levi a comforting smile, "But we'll get out soon. They promised to send someone out and he should be here shortly. Just hang in there, okay?"

Levi nodded. Being too shaken to keep up his usual façade, he really had to admit that Eren's words actually were comforting. So was his presence. Levi looked down; maybe he was just extremely emotional because of the situation, but he was actually happy Eren was there. Had he been stuck all alone, he would have had a panic attack.

"So.." Eren smiled gently when Levi looked up at him again with slightly pink cheeks and worried eyes. "Have you always been afraid of elevators?"

"Ever since I was a kid," Levi mumbled and pulled his sleeves over his hands. "One time while visiting my grandparents, I was stuck in an elevator alone. My grandmother had given me money to go buy a comic, but the elevator broke down on my way back and I was stuck for two hours."

"How old were you?" It was obvious that Eren tried to distract Levi from the current situation, but he seemed genuinely interested. Levi blushed slightly; the way Eren looked at him made him feel like he was the centre of the world.

"I was five," Levi said hoarsely and looked down again, "I refused to use elevators for about ten years before I began working on my fear. I'm still not fond of them, but it's gotten better. But.. I'm just really scared right now." He whispered the last sentence, as he could feel his voice threaten to break.

"I understand why you're scared," Eren spoke softly and reached out to gently touch Levi's arm. His hands were large and warm through Levi's clothes, and more importantly, the touch was extremely comforting. Unlike Eren's usual behaviour, there was absolutely nothing teasing or flirting about his touch, tone or expression. Levi felt slightly confused about the whole situation, but he just didn't have the capacity to focus on anything than his breathing. "You haven't been stuck in an elevator since you were five, then?"

"No."

"What can I do to make this easier for you?"

Levi's cheeks heated up and he lowered his head a bit to hide it. "Just keep talking."

Eren moved to sit down next to Levi with his back against the wall. He kept his eyes on Levi, even though the latter made a great effort to not return the glance and Eren couldn't help but smile at the vulnerability Levi showed as he scooted a bit closer and let their shoulders touch.

"Ringo keeps asking when he can come visit you again," Eren said, "He wants to become a chef now after helping you out in the kitchen."

Levi turned his head to show he was listening. He pulled at his sleeves and grabbed onto them, before pulling his knees closer and resting his head on them while Eren spoke.

"And here I was hoping he would become a great rock star. You know, every time I've taken care of him, he always wanted to pull out all my pots and pans and pretend they were drums. Now he invented a new game called 'Uncle Levi' where he pretends to cook for me."

"You're lying," Levi mumbled but couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"No, it's true!" Eren's smile widened as Levi seemed to feel a bit better. His pearly white teeth shone in a charming smile as he continued; "He argues with his teddy about whether he's allowed to stay in the kitchen or not and he tells me to wash my hands every five minutes. Does that sound familiar?"

"I have no idea where he got that from," Levi lied obviously and hugged himself tighter, "Is he still calling you Uncle Asshole?"

"Only when he's pushing boundaries and when my sister's not around. He knows he'll get in trouble if she hears him talk like that."

"He's a cunning little brat," Levi smiled and looked down.

"Indeed he is. But my sister was like that too when we were kids, so I'm not exactly surprised." Eren leaned back to rest his head against the wall. For a moment, he looked like he was lost in memories of his childhood, giving Levi the time to think that Eren was exactly as sly as he accused Ringo and his sister of. After all, Eren had taken advantage of every single chance he got to invade Levi's life.

Levi turned his head again, ready to point that fact out to Eren and maybe finally make it clear to him that the ass-grabbing would have to stop, but the dreaming look on Eren's face made him hesitate.

"You'd think I'd have the upper hand, since I'm the oldest, but my sister has always been really sneaky. I always got in trouble for our shenanigans because she really knew how to pull the innocent younger sister card." Eren turned to smile at Levi again, who didn't answer but just listened. "Do you have any sibling?"

"No, I'm an only child. But you know, Hanji and I are cousins and we grew up in the same neighbourhood and she's annoying like I imagine a sister would be."

Eren let out a soft chuckle. "Where did you grow up?"

"In the outskirts of the neighbouring town. Hanji moved here to study and work and I followed a couple of years later when I got the chance to live with one of my friends."

"Well, I'm glad you decided to move and get your own place," Eren smiled and winked at Levi.

Levi cocked his eyebrow at Eren, completely unimpressed by his 'smooth' comment. "Yeah, I bet you're happy to have someone to teach your nephew to eat proper food and not just chicken nuggets and fries - which you by the way left in my freezer! If you don't pick it up soon, I'll throw it out, by the way."

"Is that an invitation?"

Levi's silver eyes widened a bit as they locked with Eren's. Eren sent him a lopsided smile and held the eye contact. Of course he couldn't keep acting nicely, that shithead. Levi smirked.

"Yeah, it's an invitation..." he said calmly, a teasing smile crossing his lips,"- to come get your nasty ass food and then get it far away from my kitchen, or I'll punch you in the dick with a cactus."

"Aww, you're not going to cook it for me? I'll bring a bottle of wine and we can have a nice meal together, this time without kids. Just you and me," Eren smiled, as always completely unaffected by Levi's rejection.

"I'd rather wipe my ass with barbed wire than prepare junk food in my kitchen, let alone eat it."

"No, that would be a waste of a very nice ass," Eren hummed and moved to push his shoulder lightly against Levi's, "Maybe you could prepare something else then? Now that you don't want to go out with me, even though the offer still stands."

Levi puffed back with his shoulder. "I'll gladly cook for you."

"Really?" Eren's face lit up with excitement at first, but soon enough, it turned to suspicion when he noticed Levi's smug expression.

"Yes. I work at a very nice restaurant, I don't know if you've heard about it? I'll gladly cook for you if you get down there and pay," Levi answered calmly while his smug smile grew with each word.

Eren sighed but the smile never left his face. "I'm not sure your boss would agree with you on that one."

"Erwin might be afraid of you, but I'm not." Levi locked eyes with Eren.

"I know," Eren smirked and leaned a bit closer, "I like that."

"Besides," Levi purred, ignoring the last statement, "You might not like the restaurant, but I know you won't give me bad reviews."

Eren let out a low chuckle and reached out to brush Levi's bangs away from his face. The strands tickled his face as they were removed and only after Eren's fingertips had gently caressed Levi's soft locks, he realized that he hadn't moved away from the other's touch. He finally broke the eye contact to look down in slight embarrassment.

"I know you could use a good review, but I’ll still take it as an invitation to see you," Eren smiled and moved back a bit to let Levi get some space, "And I'd love to come by to get another taste of your magnificent cooking, but -"

"Hello? Are you still in there?" a rusty voice called from the hallway outside the elevator.

"Where the hell should we have gone? We're stuck in a fucking elevator!" Eren yelled back and got up from the floor to walk over to the door. Levi got up too, happy they had been cut off. After being shaken back to reality he suddenly felt the anxiety blow up again, so he pressed his back against the wall and focused on his breathing. He would get out soon, everything would be all right. And he would never ever use this shitty elevator again!

"I'm here to get you out. Sorry for the wait," the rusty voice called back.

"No, it's fine. I'm sure your coffee break is more important than people getting stuck in your shitty elevators," Eren yelled back, "Are you going to get us out, or are we just going to keep talking about it?"

"Of course, sir! I'll go down to the basement now and get you to a floor so you can get off," the rusty voice replied and soon after they heard footsteps heading down the stairs.

"Are you feeling all right?" Eren asked and walked back over to Levi to check up on him since he suddenly seemed a bit pale again.

"Yeah, I just... I really want to get out of here now," Levi mumbled and looked down. As much as he just really didn't care for elevators, he also felt the need to get away from Eren. He had been distracted by his fear and the whole situation and accidentally let Eren come way too close. But still - he had to admit that Eren's company was to prefer over being stuck alone. And it hadn't exactly been bad... "Thank you," Levi added and looked down with slightly flushed cheeks.

"No problem, love," Eren smiled and looked at Levi with an adoring glance that Levi was too busy looking at his feet and hiding his pink cheeks to notice.

Levi pressed his back harder against the wall, not sure what to do or say. The tension in the small elevator was almost suffocating; he could feel Eren's eyes on him, but he just didn't dare to look up. _Come on, Levi, do something! Say something that'll kill whatever is going on here._

"You know, baby," Eren hummed and finally got Levito meet his eyes, "It's really nice to see you again. I thought about calling you, because I wanted to tell you that I'm -"

Eren was cut off by a loud sound from the cables above them, making Levi's eyes widen as he looked up. He forgot to breath and a thin layer of cold sweat appeared on his neck.

Eren followed his glance just in time for another loud thud and the elevator made a sudden move as if it was about to fall down. Levi let out a terrified sound, absolutely certain this was how he was going to die, but then he felt a pair of hands grabbing onto his shoulders and pulling him into a tight embrace. Levi's eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise; he breathed in sharply as he felt Eren's body against his own and his strong arms lock around him. He didn't fight the hug or push him away, even though his own hands were pressed against Eren's chest. It would have been easy to push Eren away and make it very clear to him that Levi, under no circumstances, wanted him that close. But it was warm and comforting and for a short moment, Levi forgot all about the sounds coming from the shaking elevator.

He could feel Eren's grip slowly tighten around him and he sled deeper into the embrace. Instead of pushing him away, Levi dug his fingers into Eren's over-sized cardigan and held onto it with trembling hands, while burying his face in Eren's shoulder. His skin was radiating heat and his scent filled Levi's nose as Eren gently caressed his back with one hand and holding him tight with the other. None of them said anything, but deep down Levi was grateful for Eren's presence and the comfort he provided him right now.

Levi let out a shaky breath as more noise sounded from above and he turned his face to bury it in Eren's neck. His skin was soft against Levi's forehead and temple, and even though Eren's collarbone was pressed against his jawline, it only made him feel more protected. The fact that Eren's grip constantly tightened a bit around him, closing every single space between them, made it feel like Eren had wrapped them up in a safe bubble. Levi tightened his grip on Eren's shirt until his nails hurt and his knuckles turned white. Eren's grip around him and his own grip on Eren was on the edge of painful, but as it was now, they were as close as possible without causing each other to bruise. And it was amazing. Amazingly comforting and safe.

Eren buried his nose in Levi's hair and Levi could feel his warm breath against his scalp. He completely lost himself in the moment and just let Eren hold him without thinking or realizing how much time had passed by. He didn't even notice that the sounds from the elevator had stopped before the door suddenly was pulled open and both of them turned their heads to see an elderly man with a moustache and blue overalls.

Levi's eyes widened again and he finally shook himself from whatever had happened in the elevator. He pushed Eren away and bend down to grab his bag.

"You're free now, " the janitor mumbled dryly under his moustache and sent them a bored look.

Levi didn't have time to thank the janitor as he pushed past Eren into the hallway and began running up the stairs to get to his apartment.

"Thanks," Eren said quickly before following Levi to the second floor, "Wait, don't go!"

Levi ignored him and picked up his pace. He just had to get to his front door before Eren could get the chance to catch up. He had to get into his apartment and pretend he wasn't there. Eren had been way too close and Levi had to put a wall between them - and fast!

His hands shook as he fumbled with his keys to unlock the door. Surprisingly enough, his luck was on his side for once and he managed to open the door and rush inside just as Eren reached the last step. Levi slammed the door closed and locked it before dropping his bag, and letting his back hit the door.

Eren sighed and walked up to knock on Levi's door. "Come on, baby, I just want to know if you're alright. You were really pale back there."

Levi didn't answer and pressed his hands against his mouth to muffle his panting breath. He could hear Eren knock continuously, asking him to open the door.

"I just want to talk to you," Eren called from the other side of the door.

Levi finally caught his breath and moved away from the entrance, leaving his bag on the floor. He went to the bathroom and filled the tub with hot water while stripping down. He shut and locked the bathroom door - only because it made him feel like he could put more distance between himself and Eren that way. Just as he got into the tub and leaned back to feel the warm water sooth his tired body, he received a text message and reached out to get his phone from his pants. It was from _'Ass with Ears'_.

_'Come over for a cup of coffee as soon as you feel better. It's important, love. Eren.'_

Levi let the phone dump back down on his clothes without answering. He buried his face in his hands, trying to ignore the fact that Eren's sweet scent was still invading his senses.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry for the long wait, but I really hoped the chapter was worth it! I just wanna say that I would NEVER abandon a story as long as there's just one person still reading it, so even though there might be long between the updates (which I'll do my best to avoid), it will come. Just wanted to make that very clear c:
> 
> I had my new amazing beta going through this chapter, so I'd like to thank Heichoulicious for doing a great job, and of course Taboo and Lotte, who've been dealing with me for months now. So that's my amazing beta harem, and they deserve a special thanks this time for believing in me even though it was hard to write this chapter.
> 
> And thanks for reading ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After staying home with a cold for a couple of days, Levi is forced to go back to work to deal with Erwin and all his illogical ideas. His constant struggles to avoid Eren won't work out in his favor, but he is momentarily distracted when something weird is going on with Hanji.

"What is it now, Hanji?" Levi yelled as he picked up his phone. His train had been cancelled due to something as stupid as _'fallen leaves on the tracks'_ and he had been late for work even before having to run all the way to the restaurant.

"I just forgot to ask you something," Hanji said cheerfully, unaffected by the way he yelled at her. She had been calling him every day since he went down with a cold to check up on him; for some reason she thought it was a good idea to suggest that Levi could let Eren take care of him, even though Levi would get pissed and hang up on her.

Levi had managed to avoid Eren ever since their intimate moment in the elevator, but only barely. He had shut all the curtains facing Eren's apartment, closed the balcony-door tightly, locked himself up in his apartment and pretended not to be home every time he heard Eren's melodious knock on his front door. Levi was embarrassed to know that he had let Eren get so close - and even more embarrassed to know how much he had enjoyed it.

He still didn't feel completely well, but Erwin had called him last night and told him he had to get back to work in the morning, no matter what. Which was exactly why Levi was now wrapped up in his brown leather jacket and a huge white scarf, trying not to get wool in his mouth as he talked to his eccentric cousin on the phone while running through the highly populated streets in the morning.

"What?" he snarled into the phone, but his annoyance drowned in his panting breath.

"What are you doing?" Hanji asked with a disturbing mix of curiosity and light disgust, "Wait, do I even want to know the answer?"

"I'm trying to run away from the fact that we're related. I'll hang up now!"

"No no no, wait a second! You're going out with me on Friday! Okay, now you can hang up."

"What?" Levi stopped at a red light and tried to catch his breath, "Where are we going?"

"Erd's bar! We booked a couple of tables and he said he'll extend Happy Hour if you come too." It sounded like an innocent offer but something made Levi suspicious.

"Who are _'we'_?" he asked and started walking as the light turned green.

"Who? Oh, just my fabulous self and a couple of colleagues," Hanji said nonchalantly.

"A couple of colleagues?" Levi's suspicions only grew at her way too casual tone, "Like Eren Fartface Jaeger?"

"That's a new one. But yeah, he might come by too. Probably. Okay, yeah, he'll be there. But Levi, you really have to come! We're gonna celebrate that Eren is -"

"I'm not going if that fucker's gonna be there too!" Like hell he was going to go anywhere near Eren after finally putting enough distance between them. Getting Hanji's name tattooed across his forehead sounded like a better idea than getting drunk with Eren. They might just end up hugging again... or worse. "For fuck's sake, Hanji, did you really just call to ask me something you already knew the answer to?"

"I hoped your fever would weaken your judgement and stubbornness," Hanji said dryly, "Come on, Levi, it'll be so much fun! It's Eren's -"

"Hanji, I have to go," Levi cut her off after looking at his watch and realizing that Erwin was probably having a meltdown right now.

"Call me later!" Hanji yelled just before Levi hung up and started running again.

He arrived at Phoenix 30 minutes late, but the atmosphere was light and happy as he walked through the doors. Only a few staff members were there, and Erwin's deep laughter echoed through the room from his place by the bar where he was talking to Jean. Jean's smile was slightly tense as Erwin patted his back with enormous strength, but at least it looked like the poor waiter had learned how to make sure he would stay on his feet under Erwin's huge paws.

"Levi!" Jean and Erwin exclaimed as one, Erwin's voice filled with his usual cheerfulness and Jean's more with relief.

"Morning," Levi mumbled and walked up to them while unwrapping his scarf, "What did I miss?"

"I was just telling Jean about how things were back when I took over this restaurant from the previous manager. Riko was my deputy manager back then, _completely_ hopeless, I taught her everything she knows -"

"What happened while I was home with a cold?" Levi cut him off while starting to prepare Erwin's coffee.

Erwin's expression changed and he turned to look at the waiter. "Yes, Jean, what happened while we were gone?"

"Uhhm," Jean looked nervous all of a sudden and began fiddling with the pocket in his short waiter's apron, "We kinda had to -"

"Wait - what do you mean 'while _we_ were gone'?" Levi cut him off and turned to look up at Erwin.

"I wasn't here yesterday either," Erwin answered, as if it was the most natural thing, "I had my weekly meeting with the wine-club. I'm telling you, Levi, we tasted this amazing red wine from Argentina last night - _whoooh!_ It was slightly bitter, but -"

"You weren't here because you had a meeting with your _wine-club?_ " Levi asked, unable to hold back his disbelief, "I thought you'd only leave the restaurant when I'd be here to take charge of the shift!"

"Yes, which is every Monday, Tuesday - where I attend meetings with the wine-club - and Thursday," Erwin sighed and rolled his eyes.

"But I was sick! You sent me home yourself! You're not going anywhere, Jean!" Levi grabbed onto Jean's sleeve and stopped him from backing away from the conversation.

"Dear Lord," Jean whimpered and rubbed his face, obviously not happy that he would have to stay and observe the weird argument between Levi and Erwin, who just didn't see a problem with him leaving the restaurant with no one to cover for him.

"Honestly, Levi, I can't put my life on hold just because you catch a cold. I'm the president of the club, I _have_ to attend the meetings!" Erwin turned away and began walking towards his office, still talking and obviously expecting Levi to follow him, "I know it must be hard for such a young man as yourself to understand what it really means to be an adult and the responsibility that comes with it, but -"

Levi sighed and turned to Jean again as Erwin disappeared out of sight. He had asked himself so many times how that man was capable of getting himself a job as manager _anywhere_ , and now he really started to wonder how the restaurant had survived for as long as it had.

"What happened yesterday?" Levi asked again after taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

Jean pulled a newspaper out of his back pocket and handed it over to Levi. By the name of the paper, Levi feared to be met with Eren's annoying face while unfolding it. To his great relief, this had nothing to do with his nuisance of a neighbour - on second thought, that might have been preferred over the article that coloured the front-page of the culture section. Levi's brows furrowed more and more as he read through the article.

"You closed down early and asked the customers to _leave?_ " he asked in disbelief when he looked up at Jean again.

"We had to," Jean looked nervous and began fiddling with his apron again, "It was a complete mess. We all thought Erwin would cancel the wine-club because you weren't here, and when we found out he was still going to his meeting, Petra offered to take charge because she's the one with most experience. Erwin laughed at her - in the middle of the kitchen - and told Aurou that he'd be the boss that night. Petra was _furious_ ." Jean locked eyes with Levi to see if he understood exactly _how_ furious Petra had been. "Aurou tried to talk her down after Erwin left and offered her that she could be in charge, but she only got more upset. She left shortly after and called in sick this morning."

"You closed down early because you were understaffed?"

"Aurou and Sasha were the only chefs left, and I was alone in the restaurant with Hannah and Franz, and they still don't know how to work the bar, so we were all under really hard pressure." Jean looked down with a slight blush. "I'm sorry about that article, Levi. I know you've been working hard to change Phoenix' reputation."

Levi sighed. "No, forget it, it's not your fault. I'm sure you all did your best." Levi already felt like going home again; he really didn't blame his co-workers, but Erwin made it impossible for them to really do their best. "Can you get me Petra's number?"

Jean nodded enthusiastically, like a puppy, and turned away to dig out a phone-list from behind the bar. Levi grabbed the coffee while Jean rummaged around and went to Erwin's office. He knocked on the door out of habit but didn't wait for Erwin's answer before pushing the door open.

"Have you read this?" Levi asked and slammed the newspaper down on Erwin's desk and placed the coffee next to it.

"Hm?" Erwin asked absent-mindedly without looking up from his laptop.

"We're on the front-page."

"Oh, that's good."

"No, Erwin, that's pretty fucking bad! Someone managed to get a hold on a lot of unsatisfied customers who were asked to leave last night because -"

"Maybe you could deal with that, I'm kinda in the middle of something here." Erwin sipped his coffee while reading something on the screen with an excited look in his eyes.

"What's more important that the restaurant's credibility?" Levi was completely dumbfounded by Erwin's lack of interest in the survival of his own restaurant. If everything went wrong and they had to close down, not only would a lot of people be without work all of a sudden, but Erwin would lose his job too and Levi found it extremely unlikely that he would _ever_ be lucky enough to get hired as manager in another restaurant. Plus, Eren Fucking Jaeger would win. Levi just couldn't let that happen.

Erwin finally looked up at Levi with a secretive smile. "Darius Zackly just sent out a mail about an extraordinary meeting with the managers and his advisor. He didn't put up an agenda for the meeting, but he says he wants to discuss the potential of creating a new position in the company. Personally, I think the old man is thinking about retiring soon and needs to get someone ready to take over for him." Erwin spun the chair around and threw his legs up on top of a cabinet while looking out the window with a dreaming expression. "I could get an office just like Zackly's..."

Levi's jaw dropped; he was sure Erwin would be the end of his sanity. It was like they lived in each their separate universes with _very_ different kinds of logic. Completely speechless, he turned around and left Erwin's office. As he closed the door behind him, he could hear Erwin chuckle and mumble something like _'who's the boss?'_.

Back in the restaurant Jean was already waiting for him with Petra's phone number. Levi thanked him and tried to call her but she didn't pick up. After a few missed calls, he left a message and asked her to call him back as soon as possible.

When she called in sick again on Thursday, Levi left another message on her voice mail and on Friday, she finally called him back. She apologized about not calling him back earlier, but Levi told her he completely understood after what he had heard from Jean. Erwin still refused to acknowledge both, the problems he had caused for the restaurant and that he had treated Petra wrong, which was enough for her to still not come back to work. Levi managed to talk her into having a meeting about the budget. He offered to drop by her apartment after work and promised, he would make sure she was present when he showed Erwin and Zackly the new budget and that she would get credit for her work. After talking back and forth for a few minutes, she agreed and gave him the address. Levi went back to work, but Aurou refused to take any kind of orders from him the rest of the night.

Levi went to visit Petra late Friday night. He had to turn off his phone to stop Hanji from calling him and to be able to work in peace. It took a couple of hours, but they managed to put together a budget that would secure the future of the restaurant if everything went as planned. Levi knew he still had a lot of work in front of him, but he kept telling himself it would be worth it in the end. To gain her trust, Levi asked Petra to take care of the paperwork and then he went back to his own apartment to finally have a full weekend off.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Levi woke up in the middle of the night at the sound of a continuous knocking on his front-door. He only realized what had woken him up after staring at the ceiling for a long moment and he slowly slid out of bed to answer the door. The moonlight shone through the windows and his lose pyjamas pants pooled around his bare feet as he walked through his apartment while rubbing his tired eyes. When he reached the door, he unlocked it without checking who was on the other side.

As soon as he had cracked the door ajar, a hand shot up and pushed the door completely open, another hand moved up to rest against the door-frame and shining green eyes locked with sleepy grey orbs. Levi returned the burning gaze with a calm and sleepy glance. He took a step back into the apartment and Eren pushed himself inside, shutting the door behind him -not once breaking the eye-contact.

"The hell is goin' on?" Levi mumbled and blinked slowly while Eren took a step closer to him.

"I need to make sure you're aware of something," Eren answered and looked deeply into Levi's eyes, "Something important."

"What?" Levi breathed. He felt like Eren's intense gaze was nailing him to the spot, but even if he could, he didn't want to move.

"That you're wonderful as you are. There's nothing wrong with you, baby." Eren moved his hand up to stroke Levi's cheek softly. Levi looked up at him with slight confusion, even though he deep down already knew what he was talking about. "I thought you held back because of my job, but it's just as much because you were hurt in your other relationships, isn't it?"

Levi took a deep, shaking breath but didn't say anything.

"You really liked both of them, didn't you? You wanted to focus on your school because you knew how important it was, but you were just as serious about your relationships. You're never half-assed about anything you do. You thought it was far more important to spend your time on something meaningful together, rather than wasting precious time. Even if that means going out of your way to meet up during lunch breaks, or surprising you on a romantic date on your one night off. Spending the time wisely in company that is important to you, would make you happy.But they hurt you. One of them made you feel like something's wrong with you and the other one cheated on you. They made you feel that what you had to offer just wasn't good enough."

Levi felt his stomach tighten and he let out a shaky breath. Eren's eyes were so kind as they studied his face while he spoke. His hand was soft against his cheek and his voice was even softer. His words hit something inside Levi, and even though he had tried to deny how hurt he had been back when it all happened, he knew Eren was right. And he knew Eren knew too.

Levi didn't realize a tear had formed in the corner of his eye before it ran down his cheek. It left a wet trail that darkened his skin before Eren offered him a warm smile and wiped the tear away with a gentle caress of his thumb.

"Don't cry, love, they're not worth it. They didn't get you. I get you." Eren's voice was a comforting whisper, almost as if the room was filled with people but he only wanted Levi to hear him.

It felt like everything moved in slow-motion as Levi blinked and took a deep breath. His grey eyes locked with green orbs in the dark hallway, and he moved his hand up to cup Eren's neck to return the soft touch. Levi moved to stand on his toes and leaned in closer until his lips connected with Eren's.

Eren reacted immediately and let his hand wander from Levi's cheek to his hair; Levi could feel his fingertips part the strands and caress his scalp. Eren's other hand softly touched his waist and slid around him, pulling him a bit closer.

Levi's eyes fell shut as both his arms wrapped themselves around Eren's neck and trapped him between the door and himself. He could feel Eren's warmth against his naked chest, but he was more focused on the tender kiss. His arms tightened around Eren's neck and he tilted his head a bit to feel more of the burning sting on his lips.

Levi sucked lightly on Eren's lower lip as the latter took a deep breath and dug his hand deeper into the dark locks. Everything felt soft and warm and caring, and Levi was grateful that his subconsciousness produced this sweet dream. He pressed his lips a bit harder against Eren's and ran the tip of his tongue over Eren's lips. Eren parted his lips further and met Levi's tongue with his own somewhere between the two sets of parted lips. The tips touched each other softly, hesitant, curious to feel each other. They tasted each other, the touch was almost playfully light, before Levi moved his lips to suck on Eren's bottom lip again. It was fleshy and soft between his own lips, and it tasted a bit like dark, expensive whiskey.

Levi broke the kiss slowly while opening his eyes again and looking up at Eren. Their lips stuck to each other and parted slowly, almost like they didn't want to let go of the other. Eren returned the gaze with half-lidded eyes, clouded with affection - and maybe slight wonder.

"This is usually when I wake up," he whispered and let his lips brush against Eren's, "Why am I not waking up?"

"But," Eren placed another soft, whiskey-kiss on Levi's lips, "You already are awake."

Levi leaned in again for more, but then the words processed in his sleepy mind. His eyes widened and he moved back abruptly to feel down Eren's body; he had to make sure this was a dream, this couldn't be the real Eren, it just couldn't! _Oh please, let him disappear between my fingers, please don't let him feel like a normal human being!_

Eren looked down at Levi with slight amusement and extreme wonder as Levi's palms slapped against his torso, trying to make him vanish into thin air.

Levi looked up at Eren again in panic; his eyes were wide, almost completely round. He pulled the front door open and pushed Eren away with manic movements. As soon as he was out in the hallway, Levi slammed the door and fumbled with the locks with shaking hands, before turning around to press his back against it. His heart was racing in his chest and his head was spinning. This wasn't happening, this was _not_ happening!

On the other side of the door, Eren was slightly confused about the whole incident. He could hear Levi fiddling with the locks and move away from the door. Eren smiled and touched his lips lightly with his fingertips before returning to his own apartment.

Levi slammed the bathroom door up and ran up to look at himself in the mirror. He clung to the non-existing hope that this just wasn't happening.

"I didn't kiss him!" he yelled at the mirror and locked eyes with himself.

_"Yeah, you did,"_ his reflection said calmly.

"No, it wasn't me, it was _him!_ "

_"No, you kissed him."_

"I was asleep! It doesn't count!" Levi insisted and ran a hand through his hair, desperate to erase what had just happened.

_"You were awake - you kissed him."_ His treacherous reflection smirked and pointed at him.

"No no no no _no!_ " Levi hid his blushing face in embarrassment. The kiss was still burning on his lips and it felt like Eren had left a permanent mark on him. Which he kind of had; Levi tried to deny that this was probably one of the best kisses he had ever received. How did Eren manage make him feel like he was the centre of the universe, just like that? The kiss had been so soft and attentive, and if Levi's senses had been invaded with Eren's scent after their embrace in the elevator, then he was completely drugged now. _Why_ did Eren have to act so sweet and understanding and tell Levi exactly what he had wanted to hear ever since high school? If only Thomas and Luke hadn't been such assholes, then this would never _ever_ have -

"Wait a minute." Levi's eyes widened and he looked up at the mirror again. How the fuck did Eren even know about that? He had thought it was a dream because no one was supposed to know what happened back then, except Levi and ... "Hanji!"

Levi stomped back into his bedroom and grabbed his phone. It was close to three in the morning, but he was furious, embarrassed and couldn't care less about the time. Eren had reeked of alcohol and now that Levi's head had started working again, he remembered that Hanji had tried to force him to go to Erd's bar last night - with her co-workers and Eren. That little shitface had obviously told Eren about his previous relationships and she was going to pay.

Levi stomped back and forth in the living-room while trying to call Hanji. He could hear Eren move around next door and tried to ignore the image of his annoyingly handsome face up close and the feeling of his soft lips against his own. He only grew more frustrated as the phone kept ringing, but no one answered. After three failed attempts of calling his snitch of a cousin, he went back to bed. It was hard to ignore what he just had done to _Eren Fucking Jaeger_ , and he hid his face in the pillow, letting out embarrassed noises before finally falling asleep again.

When Levi woke up again eight hours later, the kiss was the first thing on his mind. It felt like it had been a dream, but then Levi remembered he owed Hanji an ass-whipping with a meat mallet if it had all been real. He rolled over and grabbed his phone; he had called her three times last night, so it really wasn't a dream...

Trying to push the kiss out of his mind, Levi focused on being upset with Hanji and called her again while getting out of bed. He was going to yell her ears off and then tell her to not even think about running away before he got there and turned her ass into a suitcase. Levi got more and more pissed the longer the dial tone kept sounding; for each annoying _doot!_ he came up with new insults, one more suitable than the previous - but she didn't pick up. He tried again but still no answer. Third time he called, she finally picked up but he didn't give her a chance to say a single word before he let the avalanche of anger roll.

"Fucking finally, you turd-hugging asshanger! What the hell do you think you're doing? Do you have _any_ idea what your fucking loud mouth has caused, you snot-fingered shitgrinder? I swear, when I -"

"Are you busy today?" Hanji cut him off. She sounded extremely calm but far from cheerful.

Levi hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the unfamiliar tone in her voice, but then he regained all his frustration. "Yes, I'll be busy kicking your wide ass all day, you crap-flapped ass stick! How dare you tell that fucking asshole about -"

"Levi, shut up. Can you go to Erd's place and pick up my stuff?"

"Do it yourself, I don't owe you shit!" Levi hissed and stomped through his apartment, getting even more frustrated at her calm and careless tone.

"I'm not listening to your shitstorm unless you pick up my stuff. I forgot my jacket and my purse. I'm turning my phone off now, so come by when you've picked it up. Bye."

Levi looked at his phone completely dumbfounded. A million questions shot through his mind; why did she sound so serious all of a sudden? What had happened? And why the hell were her things at Erd's place?

After looking at the screen for a moment while trying to figure out what had happened, he called Erd. The phone was picked up immediately.

"Hanji?" Erd asked frantically.

"No, it's Levi, you asshat."

There was a moment of silence and Levi figured that Erd had picked up before checking the caller-ID and was confirming that it really was him.

"Oh.. Well, umm.. have you heard from Hanji today?" Erd asked almost casually, but a hint of nervousness shone through in his voice.

"She just called and told me to go to your place and pick up her stuff. Why are they at your place?" Levi's tone was calm but he really wondered what had happened.

"I guess she forgot them here.. Levi, can you please tell her to call me? It's really important, I have to talk to her," Erd pleaded.

"She turned off her phone. What happened, why is she acting so weird?" Levi asked.

"I, err.. I think we kinda kissed last night." Another moment of silence.

_"What? You kissed her!?"_ Levi exclaimed and got back up on his feet, "What the hell, Erd, you two are friends and she's like a fucking sister to me - _and you have a girlfriend!_ "

"Oh, I am well aware of that!" Erd said with a hint or sarcasm, "And to be honest, I don't remember who made the first move. I was pretty fucking drunk last night when we finally got back to my place."

"I'm coming over now," Levi said calmly and hung up without giving Erd a chance to answer.

It didn't take Levi long to get dressed and get out of the door. Eren's front door was open and Levi could hear him make a lot of noise in there, but he didn't give it much thought as their encounter from last night had been pushed to the back of his mind; he was well aware that Hanji was a grown-ass woman - even though she rarely ever acted like one - and she was more than capable to stand up for herself. But he still felt protective towards her. She might be a few months older than him, but he had always thought of her as his annoying younger sister.

20 minutes later, Levi was knocking aggressively on Erd's door, never holding back before his friend finally opened it. Erd looked slightly nervous and very hungover, with a wrinkled shirt that reeked of a Friday night out and his hair messier than usual, as he stepped back to let Levi enter his old home.

"You _kissed_ her?" Levi looked at him with a reproachful frown.

"I told you, I don't remember who -"

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Erd sighed and rubbed his face before closing the door. "I wasn't thinking. I told you, I was drunk."

Levi turned silent and settled on glaring at his friend with deep disappointment.

"I didn't mean to fuck anything up, I don't remember clearly what happened. I didn't even think it would be a problem until I woke up this morning and she was gone."

_"She slept here?"_ Levi cut him off and looked around the apartment, searching for evidence that his best friend had done more than just kiss his precious cousin.

"I slept on the couch - _alone_ ," Erd frowned, slightly offended that Levi thought he would just fool around with Hanji if he got the chance.

"You sure?" Levi bit his lip and sent Erd a piercing glare.

"Yes! How low do you even think of me?"

"This has nothing to do with that. You were drunk and I know you're a fucking ladykiller." Levi's glance was cold but he had calmed down a bit. Erd _was_ his best friend after all; no matter how many girls he had shown his bedroom, he would never put their friendship at risk - or his friendship with Hanji, for that matter. Levi took a deep breath and his eyes turned a bit softer. He pulled off his leather jacket and let his scarf hang loosely around his neck before moving to sit down onto Erd's couch. "No, alright, I know I can trust you. So what happened?"

"Thank you," Erd said, still slightly offended, but sat down in the other end of the couch and turned towards Levi. "I'm not really sure. She dropped by the bar last night with a lot of co-workers. The bar was completely loaded. She had reserved a few tables, but you know how it is when she's planning anything."

Levi nodded. He had attended way too many of Hanji's parties and crazy nights out, and every time she was in charge of planning it all out, it just never added up. More people showed up than she had invited and the parties always grew wilder than planned. She really knew how to throw a party, nonetheless, and it sounded like her little whatever-it-was for Eren last night, had been a blast too.

"We made a minor fortune last night because she kept insisting on drinking contests and more people just kept walking through the door. Anyway, my shift ended around 2 AM and I decided to buy Hanji a beer because she had managed to get the house full. She was talking to some dark-haired dude and it looked kinda intimate, so I sat down in the bar and took way too many shots with my boss."

"Eren..." Levi growled to himself. Even though _'dark-haired guy'_ could be anyone, he just had a feeling that Hanji had indeed had a very intimate conversation with that shithead last night. Levi accidentally reminded himself what had happened and it almost felt like Eren's lips were pressed against his own again until he shook it off.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I was already pretty drunk by the time that guy suddenly left very quickly, but I think Hanji mentioned the name Eren. Why? It's not _that_ Eren, is it?" Erd cocked his eyebrow.

"Yes, it is! Eren Fucking Jaeger, the annoying asshole who lives next to me and tries to ruin my entire life with his annoying scribbles and soft li- " Levi cut himself off. He was _not_ just about to say _soft lips!_ "- and his soft brain that obviously doesn't understand a fucking rejection."

"Really, that was _him?_ He looked like a cool guy though, I had no idea it was _that_ Eren. I had imagined him to be more pushy and all over the place," Erd stated and leaned back with a wondering expression.

"Yeah, well, he _is_ all over the place and he _is_ super fucking annoying," Levi frowned and crossed his arms under his chest. This was not the time to get frustrated about Eren and he pushed it all away again. "Anyway, you were saying?"

"Yeah, so I hadn't even noticed that Eren-guy had left before Hanji was hanging around my neck. She was completely hammered and kept laughing about a prank or something, but I never really got what it was all about. So I bought her that beer and I had actually planned on going back home afterwards, 'cause I actually have a date later today." Erd looked a bit embarrassed about himself.

"With.. your girlfriend?" Levi still couldn't remember The Screamer's real name, but Erd didn't seem to notice that he hesitated.

"Yeah.. But I ended up drinking with Hanji until the bar closed at 5. We were both beyond drunk and I remember thinking that I couldn't just let her go home alone like that. So I insisted that she'd crash on my couch and then go home to herself in the morning."

"I thought _you_ slept on the couch?" Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, because she stole the fucking bed," Erd frowned and scratched his stubbles, "Levi, I didn't touch her, I promise. I don't even remember how we got back here, but suddenly we were kissing and then she just went straight to bed without a word. I don't even know what I thought, it's all kinda blurry. I crashed on the couch and fell asleep right away. I woke up when she shut the door behind her, but I was too hungover to remember anything right away."

Levi thought for a moment. It all seemed weird to him, but of course it would be hard for Erd to remember the details if he had been that drunk. "It just seems so unlike her to leave like that and refuse to pick up her phone. Maybe something else happened."

"I don't think anything happened last night. She laughed and smiled all night and she tried to convince me to go to another bar instead of going home. Did she say anything when she called you?" Erd asked worried, before he sank down on the couch, looking like he tried his best to remember more from the previous night.

"No, she just told me to get her stuff. She sounded really weird," Levi answered and sunk down on the couch too. He tried to remember exactly what Hanji had said, but it was nothing he could draw a conclusion from.

"Did she sound upset?" Erd then mumbled while looking down.

"I don't know. Maybe. I'm not really sure. I'll go talk to her and tell her you're worried." Levi grabbed his jacket and offered Erd a comforting smile before getting up from the couch again.

"Just tell her I'm sorry, okay? And tell her to call me, I really want to know if I did something to offend her." Erd got up too and went to get Hanji's purse and jacket from a chair in the other end of the room.

Levi took Hanji's belongings after putting his own jacket back on. Erd followed him back to the door but stopped him before he left.

"Are you upset with me?" he asked with slightly furrowed brows.

"No." Levi thought for a moment, but realized that he didn't really have anything to be mad about, no matter how protective he tended to be towards Hanji. He knew it was irrational, and he had probably overreacted towards Erd because he was so unaccustomed to irrationality. He looked up at his friend. "No, I'm not mad at you. It doesn't really have anything to do with me, except I know and care about you both. I just hope you'll figure things out."

Erd nodded and stepped aside to let Levi leave. "Tell her I'm sorry and to -"

"- to call you, I know," Levi finished off and went through the door towards the stairs. He turned by the corner to wave at Erd. "Have fun on your date," he added before disappearing down the stairs.

Levi decided to walk to Hanji's apartment even though the weather had turned even colder. It would be wise to clear his head and figure out how he really felt about his best friend kissing his cousin. It wasn't really that weird to kiss random people while under the influence of alcohol - or while dreaming, for that matter! - but Hanji's reaction was what made him think there was more to it than Erd could remember.

Levi pulled his collar up and wrapped the white scarf around his neck as many times as it's length allowed him to, to keep his body sheltered from the cold fall-breeze. He dug his hands into his pockets and hid his nose under the edge of the scarf so only his eyes were showing. He looked down while picking up his pace to keep himself warm. If only he had been drunk too last night, then there would have been a good reason to why he kissed Eren. Levi frowned behind the scarf and tried to push the memory away, but now that he didn't have Erd to distract him, it all became dangerously clear again. Eren's hand in his hair and his own arms wrapped around Eren's neck. His warm whiskey breath and soft lips moving against his own. Eren's fleshy bottom lip between his teeth and the pleasurable wet feeling of their tongues moving against each other, even if it had only been brief.

Levi shook himself back to reality - or he tried. It was suddenly hard to think about anything else but Eren. The comforting embrace in the elevator, how understanding Eren had been and just that damn kiss. Even though there were many people around him in the street, he was alone with his thoughts, in his own world. A thought about Eren not really being as bad as Levi first had determined him to be kept threatening to dominate Levi's mind, but he was too stubborn to actually give the idea space to unfold itself. Eren was an asshole. That's how it was. An asshole who was also a terribly good kisser...

When Levi finally reached Hanji's apartment, his nose and cheeks had turned pink and he made a mental note about digging out a hat and a pair of gloves soon. He knocked hard on her door and heard Moblit meow loudly on the other side of the door. He waited impatiently before he heard footsteps on the other side. He guessed Hanji picked Moblit up before unlocking the door and cracking it open.

Hanji's dark, brown eyes studied him momentarily through the small crack, then she looked down at her belongings over his arm and opened the door to let him in.

"Maybe you should have gotten yourself a watchdog instead of that noisy slipper," Levi said dryly and nodded towards the cat on Hanji's arm.

Hanji ignored his offensive comment towards her pet but mumbled a low _'thanks'_ when he handed over her jacket and purse. She shut the door and went straight to her living room while checking her purse for missing objects, without saying another word.

"Oi, you owe me an explanation!" Levi called and dropped his own jacket and scarf on a hanger by the door. He followed her and dumped down in the couch next to her.

"I thought you came here to yell at me," Hanji stated while focussing all her attention on stroking Moblit's fur, now that she had made sure all her belongings were still in the purse, "I don't think I have to say anything for you to put me in my place."

Her careless tone and expression was enough to remind Levi how pissed off he was at her, and a frown settled on his face. Luckily, he had had a lot of time to think it all through, so he wasn't just going to yell insults at her until he had found every single use of the word shit. But whatever had happened between her and Erd could wait until he had gotten rid of his frustrations.

"Why the hell did you tell Eren about my old relationships? That was something I told you confidentially. It wasn't meant for you to gossip about just to get your fucking kick." Levi's tone was calm but there was no doubt he was very angry.

Hanji sighed and her expression turned to a mix between embarrassment and sadness. "I know. And I'm sorry." She didn't meet his glance, but took a deep breath before continuing. "It's not an excuse but I was hammered last night, to say the least. Eren kept buying me drinks and turning the conversation to you, and I swear to God, that guy was either cheating or he can't get drunk. Sadly, I think I was just having too much fun to realize he was just trying to get me drunk and tell more about you. I think he's really hooked on you, Levi."

Levi looked away, trying to hide his slightly blushing cheeks, even though Hanji's gaze was still resting on the purring cat on her lap. He wanted an explanation, not to be reminded that Eren was apparently _'hooked on him'_ , which only reminded him that not even 12 hours had passed since his lips had been connected to Eren's.

Levi pulled his legs up and hugged his knees to settle the weird feeling in his stomach. "You're changing the subject. You're such an asshole for telling him about Thomas and Luke. He knew everything!" he asked lowly.

"I'm sorry, Levi, I really am." Hanji finally looked up at him with sad eyes. "It made sense to me at that time. I thought it wouldn't really matter since Eren is -"

"Do you have any idea what you've done? He knocked on my door in the middle of the night and started talking about how bad they treated me and that I deserved better -"

"Well, you do."

"- and I thought it was a fucking dream, since you're the only one I've ever told about what happened back then, so I..." Levi stopped himself and glared at Hanji with dark eyes.

"You what?" Hanji asked with slowly furrowing brows, obviously trying to figure out what he was going to say. She had an idea, judging from Levi's sudden urge to clamp his mouth shut, but it was just too unbelievable to even suggest.

Levi lowered his gaze and then looked up at her again with burning anger. If it wasn't for her drunk ass, he would never have kissed Eren and then he wouldn't be haunted by that amazing kiss and he definitely wouldn't have to constantly deny the fact that he enjoyed it. "I kissed him."

Hanji's eyes widened and she tried to muffle a surprised laugh. "What did you say?"

"I kissed him. We kissed. I thought I was fucking dreaming and it's your fault for being such a loud-mouthed shitsack." Levi got even angrier at her amused expression, but he blushed slightly again.

"But.. you kissed him? You kissed Eren Jaeger, who you hate more than the water that splashes back when you take a shit?" Hanji seemed to forget whatever had made her feel down, as her usual cheerfulness returned to her eyes and she seemed less pale.

"I thought it was a dream!"

"So you kiss Eren in your dreams?"

"No! I thought I was dreaming, Eren said exactly what I wanted to hear, I thought my subconsciousness was actually being nice to me for once and... I accidentally kissed him. If I'd known I was awake, I would have kicked his ass for waking me up at three in the fucking morning!"

"So - you wanted to kiss the Eren in your dreams because he was being sweet and understanding, but it turned out to be the real Eren, who thereby is exactly as you think your subconsciousness wants him to be and therefore the way you would want Eren to be if you'd want to kiss him?"

Levi looked at her with a blank expression. "I have no idea what you said, but I'm pretty sure you want me to agree so I'm gonna say no. It was a mistake, I didn't even think."

"Was it good?" Hanji's voice changed completely and she looked more curious than teasing.

Levi's brows furrowed and he looked away. "Hardly. I was sleepy and I don't even remember what it was like, so apparently it didn't leave an impression." Lies. The only truth in what he just said was that he had been sleepy. Everything about the kiss had been memorable; maybe his mind hadn't worked while it had actually happened, but he had known that it was one of the best - okay, maybe _the_ best - kiss of his life, as soon as their lips had parted.

"Hm," Hanji said wondering. It looked like Levi's lie had actually been convincing. "That's weird. He looks like a good kisser."

"Well, he's not."

"But you still kissed him," Hanji smirked.

"So what, you kissed Erd!"

_"He told you?"_ Hanji yelled and her expression changed immediately to frustration.

"He told me you two kissed last night! Did you make the first move? Did you kiss him?" Levi was happy to finally push the subject away from his own kiss with Eren.

"Yes, I did, so what?" Hanji pouted and pulled Moblit up into a hug, as if he would protect her from further questioning.

"Why the hell did you kiss him?"

"I was drunk!" Hanji insisted, but her eyes flickered without connecting with Levi's for more than a second. "I could have kissed just anybody."

"But you kissed Erd, our friend, who, may I add, has a fucking girlfriend!"

"Who, _may I add,_ we both hate!" Hanji mimicked and sent Levi a stubborn glare, "And he kissed me too!"

"But you're friends! You're not supposed to kiss your friends!"

"And you're not supposed to kiss someone you hate either!"

"I told you, I thought it was a dream!" Levi leaned forward to slam his hand against the coffee table.

"And I was drunk!" Hanji bit back, crossing her arms under her chest and looked away. "Besides, it was just a small kiss."

"It doesn't matter if it was a small kiss or not. You don't just kiss someone unless there's something behind it," Levi stated, keen on making her admit her true reason for kissing his friend. There had to be more to it from her avoiding behaviour. He knew they had been drunk together a million times without even placing a friendly kiss on each other's cheek.

"Is that why you kissed Eren?" Hanji asked and sent him a warning glare, "Because there was _'more behind it'_?"

"Shut up, this is not about me and that assclown! I know you, Hanji, it's obvious that you're not being honest with me. You have no reason not to trust me, I'm not the one who's telling my annoying colleagues about _your_ deepest secrets." It was a low shot, but it seemed to work.

Hanji sighed and rubbed her face before looking up at him again. "We had had so much fun together all night and when we finally got to his apartment, he kept dropping his keys and I laughed so hard I almost pissed my pants. But then we got inside and it was dark and we kept bumping into each other and.. suddenly he was just so close that I couldn't stop myself. Erd is such a good-looking guy and.. I think I might have a crush on him." Hanji frowned at her own words and looked down.

"You... have a crush on _Erd?_ "Levi's jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"It wasn't on purpose, he's just a really sweet guy! It made sense to me to kiss him last night and I went to bed right after it happened because I was afraid I'd throw up all over him if he kept squeezing me with his super-strong arms. I just felt so miserable when I woke up. Kissing him didn't exactly made my crush disappear and he has a girlfriend and I just don't want to talk to him right now."

"He's really worried about you though," Levi mumbled, trying to imagine the two of them together but he couldn't picture it, "Can't you talk to him about it?"

"Oh, and make things even more awkward?" Hanji let out a bitter laugh. "No thanks, Mr. Love Expert."

"Just call him. I'm serious, he's worried about you and even more worried that he did something to offend you."

"Levi, it's already embarrassing enough for me as it is." Hanji looked away and hugged Moblit again, who began purring louder at her affection.

"I don't care, you can't continue like this. You don't have to tell him you've got a crush on him, but just call him and get it out of the world. I can't even remember how many times he told me to ask you to call him. Stop being such a girl." Levi picked up her phone from the coffee table and handed in over to her.

"I _am_ a girl, you idiot," she mumbled but took the phone from his hand and turned it back on.

"Yeah, you just don't wanna act too much like one," Levi smirked and got up from the couch. He figured Hanji would probably want to be alone while talking to Erd, just in case she decided to be completely honest with him.

Hanji got up too while checking the texts she had received from, among others, Erd while it had been turned off. Moblit climbed to her shoulder and kept his eyes locked on Levi while they both walked back to the front-door where Levi got dressed once again.

"Thanks, Levi," Hanji smiled as he wrapped the white scarf around his neck.

"It's fine. Just don't make things more complicated than they already are," Levi mumbled and cocked his brow at her.

"You're one to talk, Future Mister Jaeger." Hanji sent him a teasing smirk and opened the door for him.

"On second thought, I forgot to rip off your head and shit down your neck for telling that fartface my secret." Levi turned around in the door but Hanji pushed him back out in the hallway.

"I'm sorry, that'll have to wait till another time. I'm already on the phone," she smirked and showed him the screen where Erd's contact info was marked.

On his way back to his own apartment a million thoughts ran through Levi's mind. Some of them were about what was going to happen between Erd and Hanji, which all seemed so unnatural and weird, like seeing your parents in an intimate moment. But he had faith in them to come up with a solution that wouldn't cause the two of them to break up as friends.

What really went through his head was his conversation with Hanji about Eren and the kiss. Deep down he knew she was right; he wouldn't have kissed Eren without reason. Maybe it was all those confusing dreams about him. Maybe it was the way Eren had comforted him when they were stuck in the elevator. Maybe it was because Eren hadn't tried to close Phoenix down in quite some time by now.Maybe it all played together and made Levi almost forget their first meeting in the coffee shop and how annoying Eren could be. Apparently he could be really thoughtful too. It was still weird to think of him like that, though. No matter what, Levi had to admit that Eren had been able to look right through him and even in his drunk mind, find the words that Levi had longed to hear. Maybe he wasn't really such a bad guy when it all came down to it...

When Levi walked through the door to the hallway in his building, he had almost decided to talk to Eren. Not about the kiss or anything serious, but maybe if they just talked normally over a cup of coffee... Levi didn't even know what he hoped would happen if they could manage to keep up a normal conversation without suggestive comments from Eren and biting insults from himself. But as he climbed the steps one by one, he felt more and more sure that it was worth a try.

He reached the second floor and he looked nervously at Eren's front door while walking past it. He was going to do it - just not _right_ _now_. He needed a shower to shake off the biting cold and a more comfortable set of clothes.

As he reached his own door, he was too busy fumbling with his keys between icy fingers to notice anything else. When he finally looked up, his eyes fell on a note on the door. He ripped it down and read through it fast with his heart beating against his throat:

_'Thanks for the lovely going away present. I'll be back for more soon.  
_ _\- Eren'_

Levi blinked and read the note one more time. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Levi unlocked the door and went inside while reading the note three more times, as if a hidden message would show itself if he read it enough times. 'Going away present' - he wasn't doubting what Eren was hinting at, but what did he mean by _going away?_

Levi walked through his apartment without taking off his jacket and opened the door to the balcony. He moved his herbs away and finally got to the wall that separated his space from Eren's. The outdoor furniture on Eren's side was stacked up on top of each other and all the windows were covered by heavy curtains.

Levi studied Eren's side that looked nothing like what it used to. From what he had seen through the few months they had lived as neighbours - from what he had managed to spot with his stolen looks - Eren never covered the windows and his apartment always seemed cosy and open, like everybody was welcome in his home. This was nothing like that.

Levi looked down at the note again and pulled his phone out from his pocket. He found Hanji's number and begged that she wasn't still talking on the phone with Erd.

"Are you calling to make sure I'm behaving nicely?" Hanji's usual energetic tone was back, but Levi didn't even think of asking how it all turned out.

"Do you know where Eren is?" Levi asked without answering her question.

"He's probably at the airport by now. Why do you care?"

"What is he doing there?" Levi's voice was expressionless but his brows furrowed more and more.

"Moving. That's why we threw him a going away party last night. I told you that last Wednesday." Hanji's voice slowly turned softer as she realized what was going on. "You didn't know?"

"No," Levi mumbled and let his gaze fall on the stacked wooden furniture again, "I had no idea. Where is he going?"

"To Denmark. It's not permanent but he won't be back until next year."

"Okay. Cool. Thanks." Levi hung up as he figured he had gotten the answers he needed.

He rested his arms on top of the wall and balanced his chin on top of his hands, still with the note clutched in his hand. Now he really didn't know how to feel.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuunnnnn!
> 
> The next chapter probably won't be as long as the last two, 'cause I think 9k words is a lot and I actually wanted to keep them at 6-8k words when I started this fic. Guess that didn't work out very well.  
> This chapter was beta'd by my sweet harem; Taboo, xLucent and Heichoulicious <3
> 
> Thank you all for reading and leaving all those sweet comments. I'm not good at replying 'cause I get all flustered and I have no idea what to say other than thank you. So thank you! The comments mean a lot to me, it's a great motivation and I read them over and over whenever I feel like I'm just writing shit. So thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finding Eren's apartment empty, Levi has a hard time not letting his mind drift away everytime he thinks about Eren and their kiss. Luckily, he has a boss who's perfectly good at dragging him right back to hell.. uhh.. reality!

Levi's forehead rested against the cold window on the train as he watched the brown and yellow leaves swirling in the wind as they were ripped off of the dark trees outside between cold buildings and shivering people. He was curled up in his brown leather jacket and white scarf, even though he was safe from the bone-chilling cold weather outside the crowded train.

He squinted his eyes in the bright sunlight and wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck, scooting down to let it cover his mouth and nose. He didn't really feel cold at all but he was too lost in thoughts to notice as the fall coloured scenery moved by fast.

Eren had left. What a fucking great timing that idiot had. Almost two weeks had passed since Levi returned to his neighbour’s empty apartment and now that he didn't have to ignore Eren's morning radio programmes over the balcony, his continuous knocking on his door and text messages, plus suggestive comments and flirty looks, he really missed having something or someone to ignore.

Levi didn't exactly _miss_ Eren and it wasn't like he regretted anything. It was just so fucking weird that he had wished Eren would go away ever since meeting him for the first time and after a kiss it actually happened. They didn't have anything together other than sharing an amazing kiss and a balcony, and it wasn’t like they would have been dating now if Eren hadn't gone to shitty Denmark. Why the hell would anyone even want to go to Denmark _of all places?_

He had wondered how he would have reacted to Eren's sudden departure if they had never kissed. If Levi hadn't just decided to invite Eren in for a cup of coffee and a normal, non-flirty, non-suggestive conversation - would he then be celebrating Eren's absence now? It didn't really feel like he had lost anything, but maybe it was the uncertainty about whether he even wanted it or not that bothered him, now that the opportunity had disappeared into thin air.

Levi had spent the first weekend of Eren's absence cleaning his apartment and trying to figure out what to think. On Monday he had tried to keep himself busy while keeping charge of the kitchen as soon as Erwin left the restaurant. It had been a slow night and with only Aurou, Sasha and himself in the kitchen, his mind had wandered off easily. Which had just happened again now.

"Fuck!" Levi hissed to himself as he realized the train had just left the station where he was supposed to get off. He ran back through the train as if that would give him a second chance to jump off, and stopped by the last door just in time to see the end of the platform.

He sighed and slammed a fits against the glass, making a couple of passengers startle by the loud sound. He argued with himself whether he should call Erwin and tell him that he would probably be a little late _again_ , but decided to just hope that his boss was in a good mood today; maybe he wouldn't even notice!

When Levi finally got the chance to get off and take another train back to his destination, he made a mental note about keeping his focus on the fucking ride from now on. He wouldn't get anywhere with thinking about Eren all the time anyway.

Levi managed to get to the Phoenix without any more detours but when he walked into the restaurant, Erwin was sitting by the bar alone, sipping a cup of coffee. As soon as the two men locked eyes, it became obvious that Erwin had been waiting for Levi; he got up from his seat and waited for Levi to come closer before he spoke up.

"Follow me to my office, Levi."

"Yeah," Levi mumbled and followed his boss while unwrapping himself. Of course he would get a reprimand for being late twice within a week; even Erwin would of course have his limit, even though if often seemed like he had no idea what was going on right in front of him. Maybe it was hard for him to always keep his eyes open under those heavy eyebrows. Levi wondered for a short moment if Erwin should maybe consider wearing a hairnet over his brows when he was in the kitchen, but he didn't manage tofinish that thought before Erwin had led him into his office and closed the door behind him.

"You probably figured out why I called you here," Erwin said and walked over to sit down behind his desk.

Levi sat down on the other side before answering. "Yeah, but can I just say that -"

"It happened, Levi!" Erwin beamed and slammed a colossal palm against the desk.

Levi cocked his brow, slightly confused. Erwin apparently hadn't noticed that he was late or he simple didn't give a shit about it - but what the hell was he talking about? Could he have heard that Eren left and realized that they wouldn't have to dread his visits for the next couple of months? Levi certainly wouldn't miss _that_ part of Eren.

"I was right," Erwin continued before Levi could ask, "Zackly is considering retirement within the next couple of years and for now he wants to phase it out. He needs someone to work directly under him, _with him_ \- someone who can manage the everyday administration and communicate with all three restaurants daily. Zackly will still be in charge of all the big decisions and have his daily times by the office, but imagine the amazing opportunity this is!"

Levi leaned back in his chair, still a bit confused but feeling a lot more calm now. Most of all, he was confused about why Erwin decided to share this with him. "You're going to apply for the job?" he asked, suddenly realizing the opportunity _he_ would get it Erwin stopped working as manager there.

"Zackly specifically said he wants either Nile, Rico or myself. We've all been working hard to help save the business, so he believes we're all very suitable for the job."

"So he's gonna pick one of you three from your skills and how you handle the management in your specific restaurant?" Levi asked attentively, waiting for the right opportunity to plant a comment about getting a promotion in case - even though unlikely - Erwin would become Zackly's new right hand.

"Well, it'll probably be between Nile and me, but of course Zackly can't really say that. I mean, you can't really hire a _woman_ to that kind of job, everything will just end up being about menstruation cycles and nursing rooms." Erwin smiled and nodded as if agreeing with himself. "Anyway, Levi, I need you to put in a good word for me.”

"You mean if Zackly asks what I think about you as my boss?" Levi asked.

"No, it's all a secret for now! You're not supposed to know anything at all, he doesn't want the media to know yet. They'll just think he's getting old and doesn't know how to run business anymore."

"Then what am I supposed to do if I'm not supposed to know anything?" Levi cocked his eyebrow again, not really getting what Erwin wanted from him.

"Zackly will visit the three restaurants at some point; officially, it's just a check-up but it's more than that. He wants to see for himself how we run the restaurants to pick the perfect one for the job. And that's when you're gonna tell him what you think of me and how I run this place!"

"You want me to tell him that you left last Tuesday to go to a wineclub meeting and that Jean had to close early and ask customers to leave?"

"Yes - no!" Erwin jerked forward in the chair and raised his voice, desperate to make sure Levi wouldn't mention that incident. "No, that was - I mean, I have no idea what happened that night. They said they'd be fine without me. It isn't my fault that I can't trust my staff. Don't tell Zackly about that, for the love of God."

"You want me to tell him what a great boss you are and that you manage to find the best way to solve whichever problem we run into, whether it be a surprise visit from Eren Jaeger or a clogged toilet?" A smirk tugged at the corner of Levi's lips. It would be hard to sound convincing but he would gladly do it if it meant Erwin would give him what he wanted in return.

"Yeah, something like that. Tell him how much you admire me and that you're honoured to work with me," Erwin smiled self-satisfied and leaned back in the chair with his hands resting behind his head.

"Okay, I can do that. No problem." Levi straightened his back and looked Erwin directly in the eye. "If you promise to tell Zackly that you want me to take over if you get the job."

Erwin almost fell out of his chair. He sat back up and suppressed a chuckle, looking at Levi as if trying to figure out if he was joking. "You can't be serious. You? Manager?" he let out a loud laugh and slapped his thigh. "Oh, that was a good one, Levi!"

"Why the hell not? I'm in charge of everything here every time you leave!" Levi frowned but refused to look away. He wasn't planning on leaving this office before Erwin had promised him to do what he could to make him the new manager in case he was moved to Zackly's office.

"And you do a really _really_ good job, I'll give you that." Erwin was still chuckling between his words. He cleared his throat and sat back up in his chair. "But you're a bit young to be manager. I know how it is with you young people; one day you think you're going to work as a chef for the rest of your life, the next day you want to be an actor and you go out every night to get drunk and steal cars. I know how young people think, Levi. You're just not mature enough for taking such great responsibility."

"Erwin, I'm practically your deputy manager, I just don't have the title yet! And the only time I haven't been here was when you sent me home with a cold!" Levi insisted, trying to keep himself calm and ignore the God knows how many insults Erwin just managed to line up. "You could easily make me your deputy manager and then it would be easy for you to convince Zackly to let me take over after you!"

"Yeah, I guess I could... But, Levi, you haven't really been on time lately. Everyone can oversleep, but I have to be able to rely on a deputy manager," Erwin said calmly and smiled at Levi as if he was talking to a five year old.

Levi let out a frustrated grunt. So Erwin had noticed after all. He couldn't really argue with that - if only he had managed to get off the train in time. He had worked his ass off to help save the restaurant and suddenly it didn't matter because he had been a bit late a few times. _Fuck!_

"Come on, Erwin, you'll need someone to take over if you get the new job," Levi sighed and looked up at his boss again. Erwin's eyes shone at the mentioning of him getting the promotion, and Levi decided to approach him from a different angle. "Which I'm sure you will! And I just feel like I've learned a lot about... _alternative_ ways to manage a restaurant and I've learned a lot from working with you so far." _A lot about how to fuck things up, that's for sure._

"Oh, you're just flattering me," Erwin chuckled, and he was completely right about that. It did seem to work nonetheless.

"Erwin, I promise I'll tell Zackly that you're the best boss I've ever had if you let him know I'm applying for your job and you tell him you think I'm the right for the job. You know I can do it, even though I've only been here for a couple of months," Levi insisted and looked at Erwin with stubborn eyes.

"I'll tell you what, if you do a good job and clock in on time from now on, I'll consider putting in a good word for you. But I can't promise you anything!" Erwin pointed at him to make sure Levi understood.

"Fine," Levi sighed. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with trying to convince Erwin to make a proper deal with him so there was no reason in trying.

"I'll write you a script over what you're gonna tell Zackly," Erwin beamed and turned around in his chair to look out the window, which usually meant that the conversation was over and even if Levi had more to say, Erwin probably wouldn't listen.

Levi got up and left the office without another word - Erwin didn't seem to notice. As he went down to the basement of the building to change clothes, he wondered if he was wasting his time hoping to get Erwin's job. The chance of Zackly choosing him to the new job would be close to zero if he ever actually saw how Erwin worked. One of the restaurants would need a new manager nonetheless, and even though both Nile and Rico probably already had deputy managers who would be ready to take a step up the career ladder, he wasn't completely without a chance. Levi knew he had impressed Zackly during their first meeting and he would catch every single chance he could get to do it again.

At the same time, he couldn't get Eren out of his mind. When thinking about everything that would go on with Phoenix during the next couple of months, Eren's absence was a blessing that would ensure them all months of peace and quiet. But that damn kiss... It really managed to mess with Levi's head in everything that had to do with Eren.

Levi sighed and tied his apron behind his back. Not that there ever was a right time to think about Eren, but now he really had to keep his focus away from him. He didn't want to accidentally tell anyone that Eren had left; they would probably find out sooner or later, and if he told Erwin now, he would also have to tell him how he knew. The fact that Eren had been his neighbour for the past couple of months just wasn't something Levi wanted to share with anyone in this business.

Out in the restaurant, he was pleased to be met with Petra and Jean by the bar, and they both turned to smile at him when he approached.

"Morning," Levi mumbled as he walked over to lean against the opposite side of the bar from where they were standing. He looked at Petra who smiled back at him. "It's good to see you're back."

"Thanks. I really needed to spend some time at home to figure things out," Petra said with a gentle smile and looked up at Jean who just looked happy to be part of their conversation. Levi could have sworn if Jean had been a dog, his tail would wiggle happily and probably knock over a few tables.

 

* * *

 

“I must say, you’ve done an excellent job!” Erwin exclaimed and clapped his hands together once. He leaned back in his big leather chair behind the dark wooden desk that his wife had picked for him when she decorated his office.

Levi glanced over at Petra by his side and sent her a lopsided smile. She beamed back at him, obviously relieved that their boss had finally taken her seriously.

“I’ll call Zackley immediately – well, as soon as you two leave.” Erwin let out a loud laugh – apparently he found himself extremely funny. Levi had long ago stopped laughing politely at Erwin since it didn’t seem to make any difference, but Petra let out a sweet – yet obviously fake – giggle.

“I guess we should get back to work then,” Levi stated, as there wasn’t really more to be said about the changes and the new budget he and Petra had worked out. The sooner Erwin could show Zackley the new strategies, the sooner they could save this sinking ship of a restaurant.

Petra nodded and they both turned to leave the office when Erwin stopped them: “Oh, Levi, could you stay for another moment? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Yeah, sure.” Levi looked at Petra as to say that he would just meet her back in the kitchen when Erwin was finished with him, and she left the office with a short wave at him. “What’s up?” Levi asked as she closed the door behind her.

“Tell me about your idea.” Erwin threw his feet up on the desk and fixed his attention on Levi.

“My… idea?” Levi asked confused.

“Yeah, your idea!” Erwin pointed a large finger at the paperwork Petra had handed over as they told him about the new budget.

“What? We just told you!” Levi sincerely hoped that he just didn’t understand what Erwin asked of him, but it rarely ever was so.

Erwin let out another laugh and let his feet back down on the ground as he stood up and walked around the desk to wrap an arm around Levi’s shoulder, a bit too friendly for Levi’s taste. “Come on Levi, you don’t have to pretend anymore. I understand why you’d want to give Petra credit for your work – hell, if I weren’t already married, I’d probably try to get my fingers in her cookie jar too, but –“

“What the fuck, Erwin, no!” Levi exclaimed, a bit louder than intended, but he was more than disgusted by what Erwin said. Said boss just looked at him baffled but he didn’t seem offended. Levi cleared his throat as he twisted himself out of Erwin’s grip. “I’m not interested in Petra. I’m gay.”

Erwin paled slightly for a short moment. “Wha - you’re gay _too?_ Did I accidentally ask for homosexual staff in my latest job posters?” He rolled his eyes and sat back down behind his desk. “You, Jean, probably Sasha too – I mean, you can’t be that grumpy all the time unless you really need a bad pounding with a big, fat –“

Levi zoned him out and took a deep breath; he tried his best to ignore the offensive comments that just seemed to roll off Erwin’s tongue. He had lost count of how many times he had told himself that Erwin probably didn’t offend him on purpose. He would really have to focus on what he could gain from all of this if everything went as he hoped. As much as he wanted to punch Erwin right in his stupid face and call Zackly to tell him that he was taking over the restaurant, he knew he had to stay on Erwin’s good side to earn a promotion this early on in his career.

“Anyway,” Levi said, cutting Erwin off, “Petra pretty much already explained what the new budget is about. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I suggest you ask her since she’s the one who worked it all out.”

“Fine, if you insist on playing her knight in shining armour, then go fetch her. Tell her to bring me a cup of coffee as well.” Erwin waved Levi away and turned in his chair to look out the window behind him. “Unbelievable,” he mumbled to himself as Levi sighed and went for the door. But when he opened it, he suddenly found himself face to face with Petra. Her face was completely red from anger and steam might as well have come out her ears as she pushed Levi away and stomped into the office.

“Fuck you, you selfish, sexist asshole!” she screamed across the office. Erwin turned back towards the door with a confused expression as Petra pointed at him and continued: “I knew it was too damn good to believe that you actually gave me credit for something!”

“I’ll have to stop you right there! That is not a way to talk to your boss, I can’t tolerate that kind of behaviour,” Erwin said, raising his voice a bit as he stood up. He straightened his back and stood at full height, glaring down at Petra even though they were standing on each side of the office.

“You are not my boss anymore, I fucking quit and I should have done it a long time ago!” Petra screeched, and pulled her apron off. She tossed it on the floor between them and sent Erwin another furious glare.

“Fine, then leave! But don’t think you can come back in a week when you’ve stopped menstruating and your hormone level is back to sane –“

“Erwin!” Levi had been standing up against the wall to keep himself out of the argument, but he felt the need to step in before Erwin crossed another line and provoked Petra to burn the place down. “I think that’s enough.” He approached Petra and grabbed her arm to lead her away before Erwin could say more.

Petra allowed him to take her away and after only a few steps she had to stop and wipe her eyes on her sleeve. “I’m not upset!” she said before Levi could ask, “I’m just so fucking angry! I’ve wasted way too much time here and I kept telling myself that it would get better and he would realize he needs me, but it was a complete waste of time! He'll never change!”

Levi watched her attentively but tried not to let her words affect him too much. Petra was definitely one of his favourite co-workers and he felt sorry for the way she had been treated, but what she had told herself was close to what Levi kept telling himself and he refused to believe that it would be the same with him. He hated to think like that, but when it came to Erwin, it was really in his favour that he was male. Erwin obviously didn’t have much respect for women.

“If it helps any, I completely support your decision,” Levi said, and continued pulling her towards the dressing-room in the basement so nobody would see her cry.

“I don’t get you, Levi,” she sniffled and looked up at him again, “He’s completely disrespectful towards you too and you claim to understand me, yet you continue to work for him?”

“The restaurant wouldn’t survive one day without me.”

“Exactly! Let Erwin die with this shitty restaurant, it’s been going downhill ever since he became manager!”

“I have my reasons…” Levi opened the door to the ladies’ changing room and followed Petra inside since no one would need to use it now anyway.

Petra sat down on a bench and waited for Levi to join her before she spoke up again. “What could be worth the humiliation of being Erwin’s door mat?”

Levi looked at her, taking a moment to figure out if he should let her in on his plans. “Darius Zackly wants to promote either Erwin, Nile or Rico. Erwin’s theory is that he’s thinking about retiring soon and needs to prepare one of them to take over the business. However, while I don’t think he’ll pick Erwin, one of the three restaurants are gonna need a new manager as soon as Zackly has made his decision.”

“And you’re aiming for that spot,” Petra guessed and nodded, “That sure as hell will be worth it – if it works out for you. Don’t you think there’s a lot of people who’re gonna apply for the job?”

“Yeah, but I made a deal with Erwin: if I make it sound like he’s the best boss when Zackly comes to check up on the restaurant, Erwin will put in a good word for me.”

“You’re selling your soul to the devil, Levi,” Petra said honestly and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

“Who says I even have a soul to sell?” Levi smirked and glanced down at her.

“Anyone who can see what a huge ass Erwin is has a soul, if you ask me,” Petra smiled softly, “You’re not a bad guy but I sure as hell don’t understand you.”

“I’m not asking you to. But in case I become manager, I hope you’ll accept a job in my restaurant.”

Petra’s smile widened. “Anytime. As long as you don’t learn too much from Erwin!”

After receiving Petra’s uniforms and aprons, and saying goodbye to her as soon as she had changed, Levi went back to Erwin’s office. It had already been a long day and the restaurant wasn’t even open yet. Luckily, he knew Erwin had business to attend to in the evening, and would leave Levi in charge. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with Erwin for much longer that day.

He knocked on the door to the office and entered as soon as Erwin had called out to him.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’ve collected Petra’s clothes and put it in the laundry basket in the basement. May I suggest that we –“

“Come in for a second. I need to ask you something,” Erwin mumbled while looking through the paperwork Petra and Levi had left for him.

“I think we should put Sasha in charge of the dessert menu tonight,” Levi stated as he approached Erwin’s desk.

“You said that we should move the restaurant to a cheaper location,” Erwin said and looked up at Levi, completely ignoring his suggestion, “You said that would be the only way to save the restaurant.”

“And following the new budget. But yeah, moving to a smaller and cheaper location is the only way to –“

“Yeah, well, that’s all mighty fine but you haven’t found new places where we could move the restaurant!” Erwin sighed and threw his hands up resignedly.

“No, we did! They are…” Levi took the folder away from Erwin and looked through the papers until he finally found a page with three locations written down on it. He and Petra had spent hours looking for a good place to move the restaurant too; somewhere near the shopping street in town but there was no reason to keep such big facilities as they had now, since they didn’t really have many customers. But in the end, they found three places that were all for sale right now, and would fit the restaurant perfectly. Levi handed the sheet over.

“Great, thanks.” Levi couldn’t help but notice that Erwin seemed a bit bummed out about Petra’s resignation, but he also recalled that Erwin had said that Petra’s pastries were the best he had ever had. That was probably the explanation for Erwin’s uncharacteristic low mood.

“So about Sasha –“

“Do what you want, you’re in charge tonight. If you’d excuse me, I have to call Zackley back now.” Erwin picked up the phone and Levi went to leave the office once again and hoped that this would be the last time he was here that day. On his way out, he heard Erwin talk to Zackly in his usual cheerful tone: “Yes, it’s me again! I knew I had written down the locations, someone must have misplaced it. Yes, so as soon as I came up with the idea about looking for a new location of the restaurant, I started looking for –“

Levi suddenly felt the urge to follow Petra’s example and quit right then and there. Oh, how he would love to see Erwin deal with this shit by himself. Levi stomped through the restaurant, desperate to find a way to let out some steam, when he bumped into Jean.

“Oh, hey there, Levi!” Jean beamed when he realized who had almost knocked him over, “How did your meeting with Erwin go?”

“I need a beer!” Levi growled and by the way he looked, Jean decided not to ask right away. He dug down behind the counter, pulled out a bottle and removed the lid. Levi grabbed it and chugged down half of it in one go.

“Long day?” Jean asked and poured Levi a shot.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you about it,” Levi sighed and took the shot, immediately feeling the alcohol run through his body, warm and relaxing. He took a deep breath. He knew it was against the rules to drink during a shift, and the fact Jean didn't oppose Levi's need for a break, made him extremely grateful. “Thanks, Jean.”

A wide smile grew on Jean’s face by the gesture. “No prob, Levi.”

 

* * *

 

A few weeks later, Erwin was again waiting for Levi inside the restaurant. Levi barely managed to make it through the doors before his boss was all over him and for a moment, he was worried he had been late again. Luckily, it had nothing to do with that.

“Levi! Come to my office right away, no time to waste!” Erwin roared through the room, making the rest of the staff jump and look back at him.

“Wait, my coat –“ Levi tried to unwrap himself from his outerwear while Erwin dragged him away. It was getting a lot colder very fast, leaving no doubt that winter was upon them. While it was only the middle of November and still over a month before Christmas, chances were that it was likely to be a white one. “Erwin, let go of me! Let me at least get rid of this shitty jacket before I do anything else!”

“Jean!” Erwin let go of Levi and snapped his fingers at the waiter, “Take Levi’s coat!”

“No, stop that!” Levi took a step back, slightly confused and annoyed with this reception. Jean approached them after leaving whatever he was doing at the bar. “You don’t have to do anything, Jean, I am very well capable of getting rid of my coat myself.”

“I don’t mind!” Jean beamed and held his arms out, ready to take Levi’s clothes. “Really, I’ve just finished –“

“Yes, thank you, Jean,” Erwin cut him off and pointed at Levi, hinting for him to get rid of his coat. He tripped impatiently as Levi handed the clothes over to Jean with an annoyed glance, but then sent the waiter a grateful nod before said waiter happily bounced towards the basement.

Levi followed Erwin to his office, hoping it was something serious for once. Erwin closed the door behind him and moved uncomfortably close before whispering, as if anyone could hear him if he spoke in his usual pitch: “It’s happening today, Levi. Zackly will come by to inspect the restaurant this afternoon and dine here afterwards, but before all that he’s requested a meeting to discuss our suggestions with the new budget and all that.”

Levi bit his lip. _Really, ‘our’?_

“And I’d like you to join the meeting,” Erwin finished and patted Levi’s shoulder.

“Because you don’t understand the plan?”

“Yes – no!” Erwin cut himself off and looked down at Levi with wide eyes, “No, just because… Well, Zackly actually…” He cleared his throat. “When he heard that you had taken part in the planning, he specifically asked that you’d be present at the meeting.”

“Really?” Levi asked surprised. He had apparently made himself noticed in a positive way since Zackly still remembered him after his _excitable_ – as Hanji would have called it – performance in his office when he just started working at Phoenix. It felt like ages ago already… “When is the meeting?” he asked after shaking himself back to reality.

“The meeting is at 4 pm. Then he’ll get a small tour to see how we work – this is where you step in and tell him how amazing a boss I am. _Tough_ – but fair. A great example, no, a perfect _role model_ , for everyone in the restaurant. A culinary Adonis. A ground-breaking ---“

“Alright, I get it!” Levi cut him off, before Erwin would get too caught up in his own self-esteem that apparently already was blown completely out of proportions. “I tell Zackly you’re the perfect boss and you tell him that I need to be manager when there’s a free spot.” He felt more and more disgusted by the thought of letting those words form on his tongue – and actually sound convincing.

“Yeah yeah, minor details. Next we put together a great menu in his honour and next week I’ll be moving my furniture from this shitty building to an office twice the size of this with view over the entire city.” Erwin dropped down in his chair and threw his feet up on the desk.

“By the way, Erwin,” Levi’s – by now - highly developed selective hearing had cut his boss out long ago, and he dug into his bag to grab a document he had worked on the previous night – just in case. “I made an official application for the upcoming manager job. I was thinking you could hand it over to Zackly when you recommend me for the position.” Levi placed the document on the desk in front of Erwin.

Erwin picked it up and scanned the first few lines without much interest. Then he put it back down and smiled up at Levi. “Of course, I’ll hand it over as soon as he’s made his decision.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Get back to work. We have a long day in front of us.”

Levi nodded and turned to leave. As soon as his back was turned to Erwin, the blonde grabbed the application and slid it into the bottom drawer in his desk. “Don’t forget to tell the others that Zackly is coming tonight!” he yelled after Levi with a cheerful grin, “I need everybody in absolutely top shape so we can pull this home!”

Pulling the deal home was the only thing that didn’t happen that night. The meeting in itself went very well – except for Erwin constantly cutting Levi off to repeat what he had just said. Zackly seemed slightly annoyed with Erwin, to Levi’s great pleasure, but while it only made Levi feel more confident every time Zackly turned to him to ask about details on a specific part of the new plan, it obviously only made Erwin more desperate for attention. In the end he sent Levi out for coffee and exclaimed that _‘sometimes a coffee break was just needed when sitting through all these boring meetings about budgets and numbers.’_

When Levi returned with two cups of what Erwin lately named an _Erwin Special_ (an extra strong latte with a triple vanilla syrup shot and extra sugar on the side) and a normal coffee with milk for himself, the two had apparently decided that the meeting was over as they were chatting about wine clubs and vacations.

The rest of the night was a bit blurry to most of the staff. While Levi knew there was no way in hell Eren Jaeger would be able to walk in and fuck everything up, two of his colleagues apparently felt the need to do exactly that. Two food critics from two different magazines had decided to dine at Phoenix on that specific night, which made everybody in the kitchen and on the floor that much more nervous. Erwin insisted on letting every other customer wait while everybody focused on dealing with Zackly and the critics. Levi – on the other hand – insisted on treating everyone the same and dealt with the orders as they were sent to the kitchen.

After a few hours, Zackly left without a word. By that time, several customers had received the wrong meals, the critics had left without even finishing half of their appetizers, an old man almost choked on a whole nutmeg that somehow had made it into his dish, and Erwin was drowning his failure in the wine warehouse.

Levi closed the restaurant alone a few hours after Erwin left in a cab with a bottle of wine in each hand.

A week later every staff member at the Phoenix-chain received an e-mail from Darius Zackly. He proclaimed that he had been looking for a partner for the company and after much research it had become obvious to him that Rico Brzenska was the right person for the job. In addition to that, the two of them would spend some time on finding a new manager for her restaurant, and they would throw a small reception for the entire company as soon as everything had fallen into place.

Levi went to work that winter-morning, clinging to the hope that Erwin had handed his application over to Zackly before the entire restaurant exploded in bad luck and stupid accidents. While hoping it was only a matter of time before he wouldn’t have to work under Erwin anymore, he intended to follow his and Petra’s plan all the way through, now that Zackly had approved it.

 

* * *

 

On December 25th, Levi woke up by loud knocking on his front door, causing him to jolt out of bed. He had returned home late last night after spending Christmas Eve with Hanji and her family. His own parents were out of the country for the holidays, so Hanji and her parents had insisted that Levi should spend the evening with them. Just like Hanji, her side of the family was, well... _energetic_.

Christmas Eve at Hanji's... It was obvious where she got most of her energy and cheerful personality from, as her father was the same way and as long as Levi could remember, she had always been daddy's girl. Her mother was a bit more down to earth but all in all the noise level had been a lot higher than when they were mixed with Levi's family. The worst part was that Hanji was far from the loudest.

Without Erd there, Hanji clung to Levi instead and insisted on dragging him around the big house to relive childhood memories as soon as she saw an opportunity to leave the party for a moment. The two of them strolled through the huge snow-covered garden, bathed in moonlight and candle light from almost every window in her childhood home, both shaking slightly from the lack of proper outerwear.

Levi didn't think much of neither Christmas nor traditions in general but it was fun remembering their shenanigans; Hanji had been an amazing playmate and she always came up with the stupidest ideas - luckily she didn't mind being her own guinea pig back then.

"Remember when I accidentally dropped your favourite teddy bear into the lake in the park?" Hanji had asked, as they reached the back of her parents’ garden where there was a hole in the hedge. They had often snuck out through that hole during the summers, and run to the park to feed ducks and study the fish from one of the small bridges over the canals that all ran from the tiny lake in the middle of the park.

"I'm not so sure it really was an accident," Levi huffed and broke a dark branch off from a tree he had climbed many times as a kid.

"It was, I swear!"

"The second time sure as hell wasn't." Levi cocked his eyebrow and poked her with the dry stick. He remembered way too clearly Hanji dropping his plush toy into the canal and after her dad had spent half an hour trying to push it to one of the sides with a stick and finally gotten it back up, Hanji just _had_ to show her parents exactly how it happened. _Exactly_ how it happened.

"No, second time was probably on purpose," Hanji admitted with a smile that she just wasn't able to hide, "But my dad already got it out of the water once, I guess I figured he could do it again."

"I had to throw that teddy out because it never stopped smelling like duck shit. It was disgusting!" Levi tapped the stick against a larger branch to make a bit of snow fall down on Hanji and she let out a squeal.

"I didn't think that far back then," Hanji chuckled while brushing the snow off her shoulders before pressing it into a snowball and throwing it back at Levi.

"Back then?" Levi smirked after avoiding the attack, and tossed the stick into the darkness where it disappeared in a pile of snow.

"Hey, I'm not tossing any of your beloved kitchen knives or your vacuum cleaner into the lake, am I?" Hanji asked slightly offended while punching his shoulder.

"No, 'cause you know it would be even easier for me to kick your ass now." Levi hit her back, but made sure not to use too much strength.

"Ouch! You can't hit a woman!" Hanji yelled and rubbed her shoulder to sooth the slight pain before continuing with a softer tone; "We didn't fight that much, did we?"

"No. Only over cute guys." A smile played in the corner of Levi's lips as he looked down at his boot and kicked the snow off the black leather while thinking back to when he was an angry and confused teenager, and Hanji was the first he came out to.

"Yeah, you're right," Hanji said and for a moment, it looked like she was getting lost in memories too, but then she wrapped her arm around Levi's neck and pulled him closer while ruffling his hair. When Levi pushed her away she smiled teasingly and continued; "You won't lose more cute guys to me though, I'm sticking with Erd."

"You just started dating, how can you know you won’t grow tired of each other?" Levi asked slightly annoyed while trying to tame his locks again.

"I just know. You probably think it's crazy, but I can just feel it." Her eyes shone in the moonlight by the thought of her boyfriend but then she shook herself back to reality. "He sold his apartment, you know. He stayed at my place while The Screamer collected her stuff and he never really left. So we decided he might as well move in now."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Levi said calmly but his gaze was dead-serious, "I'm glad you two found each other, even though it all seemed a bit chaotic. You seem really happy together and I support you but I just hope it won't end up with a shitload of drama."

"It won't. I'm so happy and it really.. it just feels right, you know? I didn't even want to let men into by bedroom 'cause that's where I _sleep_. Now it feels weird if Erd isn't there with me. I couldn't throw him out even if he smelled like duck shit." Hanji chuckled but her smile indicated that she was completely honest despite her lousy attempt of being funny.

"I'm happy for you." And he really was. Levi had been worried ever since their first drunken kiss and it had only gotten worse after all the drama they had gone through before actually getting together. It seemed like the right time to put away his worries and trust that they would never have started this if they didn't believe it was something special.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." Hanji smiled as pulled Levi into a hug which he returned albeit not as crushing as hers. "But that also means you'll get a certain someone all for yourself."

"He's gay, you didn't stand a chance," Levi mumbled against her shoulder and pulled away even though she felt warm and he was freezing.

"I knew it. You're still thinking about him." There was no need to say the name; judging from Hani's triumphant smirk, she knew exactly who Levi was talking about.

"Shut up." Levi looked away, keen on finding a way to change the subject. "I'm going back inside. It's fucking freezing."

Hanji followed suit and remained from teasing him for the rest of the night. Levi took a cab back home around 2 AM while Hanji stayed with her parents to spend Christmas morning with them. While Levi never made a big deal out of celebrating himself turning a year older - which for him only meant a year closer to growing grey hair - he appreciated that Hanji and Erd had promised to come by his apartment the next day. Nothing big; no presents, no disgusting birthday cakes and definitely no fucking birthday song!

Levi tried to remember his plans for the day, but the annoying knocking just kept disturbing his chain of thoughts. He rolled out of bed, feeling completely groggy, and he just wanted to go back to sleep after putting a stop to the aggravating noise. Who the hell dared knocking like that on Christmas morning?

"What the fuck is it?" Levi hissed when he finally reached the front door an ripped it open, glaring out at the man on the other side.

"Delivery," the guy said dryly and stuck a board with a piece of paper into Levi's face.

Levi pushed the board back to look at it, squinting his eyes as he tried to figure out what this was all about. "I didn't know you could get deliveries on Christmas day," he mumbled and looked back up at the guy in green cycling clothes and helmet, "What are you even delivering?"

"No, normally we wouldn't but I had a very insisting man on the phone a week ago who wouldn't stop calling until I agreed to make a delivery this morning. And you are receiving these." The delivery guy handed the board and a pen over to Levi before picking up what looked like a huge bouquet packed in zaffre blue tissue paper. Levi's eyes widened and his heart started beating a bit faster as he signed the papers and reached for the bouquet.

He thanked the delivery guy and shut the door behind him. He struggled to unwrap the top while walking to the kitchen. The bouquet was as wide as Levi was over his shoulders and he had to hold it against his chest to be able to remove the tape with one hand alone. When he finally got it open, a sweet scent hit his nose immediately. The bouquet was made entirely from hundreds of small flowers with purple petals and it reminded him a bit of the lilacs by his childhood-home.

Levi lowered his head to inhale the sweet aroma again and let his eyes fall shut. His heart was beating ever faster and God, how he hoped the very insisting man on the phone, that the delivery guy mentioned, was who he thought it was.

He opened his eyes again and searched between the beautiful flowers for a note or a card or anything that could give him an answer. He completely unwrapped the flowers and a small card fell on top of the counter.

Levi subconsciously held the bouquet close against his chest again while picking up the small card with a printed _'Happy Birthday'_ in silver on the front. He opened the card and the slightly familiar handwriting made his heart beat even faster.

_'Happy Birthday, love. I can't wait to see you again. I'll be back home soon.  
\- Eren.'_

Levi read the note twice, his mind too messy to really understand it all the first time. He gulped and slowly moved his thumb to read the last line under Eren's name, written as if he had either forgotten to write it or as if he had decided to include it last minute.

_'I think about you every day.'_

Levi closed the card again and put it down on the counter. No matter how hard he had tried to forget the kiss, no matter how much extra work he had buried himself in to forget Eren, this simple message made it very clear that it had been hidden but not forgotten. Levi's heart was fluttering in his chest and he couldn't stop himself from repeating the note to himself in his head. _'I think about you every day.'_ Levi suddenly didn't feel so ashamed to admit the fact that Eren had been lingering in his subconsciousness ever since he left, and for once he allowed himself to really think about Eren too.

He let the perfumed aroma invade his senses again while walking over to the glass cabinet by the dinner table to get a vase for the flowers. Two and a half month had passed since Eren left and now that Levi actually allowed himself think about him, it suddenly felt like a really fucking long time. He didn't miss Eren, but the thought of him returning soon made a smile tug the corner of his lips. The flowers were very beautiful and it was thoughtful of him to even send something on his birthday.

Levi grabbed a vase with a bit of a struggle; he rarely ever used a vase and therefore placed it on the top shelf, which Levi, admitted, had trouble reaching without standing on his toes. He didn't make it any easier for himself by subconsciously refusing to put the bouquet down while trying to reach.

His mind circled around his annoying yet very charming neighbour while he filled the vase with water and cut his first birthday present to fit in the vase. He placed it in the middle of the counter and studied the flowers for a moment.

_I'll be back home soon._ How soon was _'soon'?_ Why the hell could that idiot not just write a fucking date? 'Soon' could be anything. That smug asshat with his suggestive comments and cryptic notes and, _fuck_ , his annoyingly soft lips!

Levi was once again reminded about the kiss and he turned away from the bouquet to get a hold of himself, but it was too late. Eren’s soft tongue and hot breath flashed through his mind. The feeling of trapping that tall, hot body up against a door and sucking on Eren’s plump bottom lip made him long for another passionate kiss. Now, _that_ was a birthday present he wouldn’t mind receiving…

Levi's chain of thoughts was interrupted when an attempt to kick his front door in failed and he heard a loud, pained cry that could only have come from Hanji.

"Why the hell did that grumpy midget lock the door when we're supposed to surprise him on his birthday?" Mumbling was heard from the hallway and Levi guessed it was probably Erd that tried to calm down his hysterical woman, yet it didn't seem to work; "I don't care that I told him we'd come, I can still pretend it's a surprise if I want to!"

Levi sighed and opened the front door even though he was tempted to just leave them - or at least his cousin - out there. "Is that the gentle voice of my quiet and tender cousin?"

"Never heard of her," Hanji said, her tone exactly as dry as Levi's, before cracking a wide smile and throwing her arms around his neck, "Happy birthday, Levi!" He squeezed him tightly before pushing her way into his apartment to get rid of her jacket and probably rummage around in Levi's things as usual.

"Happy birthday, dude," Erd smiled and brushed snow out of his blonde locks before stepping through the front door. He patted Levi's shoulder and handed over a pink box, "Don't worry, it's not a gift. It's a birthday cake."

Levi sighed but offered his friend a small smile. "You know I don't really care for sweets."

"I know."

"Hanji?"

"Hanji," Erd nodded and shut the door behind him. They shared a mutual understanding that most people who knew Hanji could easily take part in. It was tempting to tease Erd about being henpecked, but it was obvious how much they cared about each other and if his best friend wanted to make his cousin happy and the other way around, then there was really no reason for Levi to tease any of them. With a little luck, Hanji would follow his example.

Levi and Erd small-talked about how they spent their Christmas Eve's as they walked into the kitchen while Hanji had gone out on the balcony, resulting in a chilly winter breeze flowing through the otherwise warm apartment. Levi glanced out at her, curious to what she was doing. He listened while Erd told about his night with his parents and three brothers - which Levi knew for a fact all looked exactly like Erd - but he kept an eye on his cousin while placing the cake on a platter and preparing for coffee. What the hell was she up to?

"Where's Eren?" she asked when she walked back into Levi's apartment after she had wrapped her arms around Erd's waist and placed a soft kiss on his jawline.

"How should I know?" Levi mumbled and busied himself with running a wet cloth over the counter-surface while waiting for the water to boil.

“You’re neighbours, aren’t you?” she asked innocently.

“Not right now, as far as I know,” Levi brushed her off with a careless shrug.

Erd looked a bit confused but Hanji just smiled sweetly at him. It was silent for a blessed moment while Levi continued the preparations. Then Hanji spoke up again.

"What's this?" she sang with barely hidden smugness, and as Levi spun around to make sure she wasn't playing with something she would surely break, he saw her studying the huge purple bouquet on the counter between them.

"Flowers. They grow from dirt; sometimes in the wild, sometimes in pots. They are what you would call _a plant_ ," Levi said sarcastically, feeling certain that she couldn't accidentally break the vase, even with her grand gestures.

"I am well-aware of that," Hanji frowned and looked down at the flowers again.

"You never know." Levi shrugged and turned back to the coffee machine again.

"Who are they from?" Erd asked as he returned to get the cake from the kitchen and carry it to the dinner table.

"No one," Levi said immediately, staring firmly at the machine and begging for it to finish off soon so he could tell the others to go sit down and shut the fuck up while enjoying their coffee and cake.

"No one?" Hanji repeated.

"I bought them myself."

"But you hate flowers," Hanji stated and wrapped an arm around Erd's waist while he wrapped one around her shoulder.

"Maybe I don't hate flowers any more, people are allowed to change their opinion, aren't they?" Levi huffed and turned around to face his friends again, only to see Hanji with the card from Eren in her free hand and a mischievous smirk on her face while she looked at the cover with the curved _Happy Birthday_.

Levi hoped she would keep her pointy nose to herself and _not_ read what was inside, but he knew that she would do exactly that if he lashed out to get it back. He sent her a bored glance.

"So you would just suddenly change your opinion and buy yourself a large bouquet of bluebirds?"

"So?"

"So -" Hanji cleared her voice, "Bluebird, _Nemesia fruticans, are very rare at this time of year and in the language of flowers it symbolizes that you have fallen in love with someone from the moment you saw them. It can also be given to those who you feel are very unique, and those who you feel are enchanting."_

Levi stared at her for a long moment in silence. Then he looked at Erd who seemed exactly as dumbfounded as he felt. Then he looked back at Hanji. "You're such a fucking nerd."

"Indeed, but I am also right. You didn't buy those for yourself."

"As if anyone except you knows anything about shitty flowers," Levi huffed and turned back to the coffee machine to pour the hot liquid into three identical mugs.

"Oh, so I guess this card from Eren Jaeger didn't come with the flowers?" Hanji smirked teasingly and waved the small card.

"Put that down!" Levi blushed deeply and jerked forward to rip the card out of her hand. Hanji managed to pull her hand back just in time to keep him from snatching it and while Levi threw himself over the counter to reacquire the only words he had received from Eren for months - barely managing to dodge the vase - Erd moved away from the fighting cousins with a resigned sigh and sat down on Levi's couch with a magazine. He had witnessed their childish fights enough times to know exactly how this would turn out and decided to stay far out of this.

"It's none of your business!" Levi yelled and knocked Hanji's glasses off her nose to gain an advantage over her.

"I can still read it, you lousy cheater!” Hanji screamed and held the card high above her head, making it impossible for Levi to reach.

“Give it back, woman, that is a private letter!” Levi jumped up and grabbed onto Hanji’s arm. He used all his weight to pull it down, but accidentally knocked them both off their feet and they tumbled to the floor.

Erd looked up from his magazine for a short moment but when Levi and Hanji continued their fight, he turned his attention back to the article.

Hanji had gotten a momentarily advantage and was trying to hold Levi down while reading the card. Levi fought hard to push her away without really hurting her and only managed to do so just as Hanji finished reading the short message. Levi jerked forward and snatched the card out of her hand with a furious glare.

“I swear to god, Hanji, I’m gonna break all your fucking fingers one day, if that’s what it takes for you to stay out of my business!” He growled and got back up on his feet.

“Go ahead, I have Erd’s fingers so I guess I can do without my own,” his cousin smirked and wiggled her brows.

“Hanji!” Erd cried and placed the magazine back down on the coffee table.

“Ugh, that was neither on a ‘need to know’ nor ‘nice to know’ basis,” Levi frowned.

“Did Eren really write this?” She ignored both of them and looked at Levi with a very serious glance; it was hard to determine if it was positive or negative.

“Yes,” Levi mumbled and crossed his arm under his chest.

“My god, Levi, that’s so adorable!” Hanji squealed and threw her arms around her cousin in a crushing hug. Levi untangled his arms to push her away while she clung to him.

“Get off me, woman, I still hate you!”

“He really likes you, it’s so cute!” Hanji looked down at Levi’s annoyed frown and slightly pink cheek. “And you like him too, it’s so perfect!”

“What? I thought you hated that food critic dude!” Erd got up from the couch with a confused expression.

“Yeah, no, I don’t know. I’m a bit confused after we accidentally kissed and he then left for fucking Denmark,” Levi admitted and looked away while squirming out of Hanji’s grip.

“I’m confused now – didn’t you hate that guy with burning passion? Isn’t that why you’ve yelled my ears full with your frustration over his bare existence?”

“Yeah, well…”

Erd and Hanji followed Levi back to the kitchen and waited on the other side of the counter while Levi poured the coffee into the three identical cups.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Erd asked while Hanji wrapped her arms around him again.

“I thought you knew. I supposed Chatter-mouth there told you and that you were just polite enough to not bring it up,” Levi mumbled and placed everything on a tray before looking back up at his friends.

“No, I didn’t tell him,” Hanji said seriously, “I felt bad about telling Eren about your ex-boyfriends and I didn’t want you to feel like you couldn’t trust me. Sorry, babe.” She looked up at Erd with an apologetic smile. Levi was surprised by what she said but it was really nice to know that she felt bad about it. He had thought she would tell Erd everything after they started dating, and it wouldn’t really bother him if Erd had known, but she had definitely proved something.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Erd kissed her hair. “But can you please fill me in on what I’ve missed?”

Levi sighed and nodded. They all sat down by the dinner table and Levi told what had happened the same night Erd and Hanji had exchanged saliva for the first time, while Hanji jumped in her seat whenever she had to bite her tongue to not cut Levi off to spice the story up with her version. After finishing, Levi handed over the birthday card for Erd to read and began cutting the cake while his friend read the few lines.

_“I think about you every day,”_ Erd read out loud and looked back up at Levi. Levi handed over two generous pieces of cake while only taking a small slice for himself. He didn’t say anything but Eren’s words made butterflies flutter in his stomach. “I’m sorry to say it, dude, but he actually sounds like a really great guy.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Levi mumbled and sipped his coffee. But he sure as hell was a great kisser, that annoying shit.

 

* * *

 

On December 31st, Levi decided to go out for dinner with Hanji before they went to Erd’s bar to celebrate New Year’s evening and get drunk. Well, Levi was getting drunk at least. After a delicate sushi dinner they went to Erd’s bar where the blonde had work until 2 am. The room was full but Levi and Hanji managed to get seats by the bar anyway, thanks to the death glare that everybody in the family possessed.

One of the perks about knowing the bartender – in Hanji’s case _fucking_ the bartender – was that they never ran out of beverages. They barely managed to empty their glasses before Erd had placed new ones in front of them with a wink and a small kiss on Hanji’s cheek.

“S’nce when d’ya get too fancy to drink beer?” Levi asked and licked a bit of foam off his lips. He was on his fourth stout, slightly tipsy, and deeply annoyed with the colourful drinks his cousin had been sipping all night.

“Since I can drink for free,” Hanji smirked and sipped her blue drink through the straw.

“Skank,” Levi huffed with a slightly drunk grin dancing over his lips and lifted his glass again.

“I’m not drinking, though,” Hanji yelled to overshout the music.

“What?”

“I’m not drinking!” she repeated and moved her chair closer to Levi so he could hear her.

“That’s bullshit. I can see you’re drinking. I’m not that drunk, you idiot,” Levi chuckled.

Hanji laughed and moved closer again. “That’s not what I mean, silly. There’s no booze in it.” She pushed the straw in between Levi’s lips and he took a sip and then grimaced from the overly sweet taste.

“No, I can taste that. Disgusting!” He sipped his Guinness to drown the taste and then looked at her again. “Why the hell are you drinking that shit?”

“I’m pregnant.” Hanji smiled but looked slightly worried while studying Levi’s face for a reaction.

“You’re fucking _what?_ ” Levi yelled back over the music. His face was twisted in complete disbelief.

“I’m pregnant. I just found out yesterday.” Hanji smiled again. “I’m really happy, Levi. Please tell me you’re happy too.”

“Does Erd know?”

“Yeah, I told him last night. He started crying and kept telling me how much he loves me.” Hanji looked up at Erd who walked by on the other side of the counter and shot her a wide smile before he disappeared again.

“Well, that’s…” Levi scratched the back of his neck absentmindedly, trying to figure out exactly what he thought of the news. “That’s really amazing, Hanji. I’m happy for you.”

Hanji’s eyes shone and her smile widened. “You really mean that? Thank you! You’re gonna be an uncle, Levi!” She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Levi managed to save his beer and hugged her back with one arm.

“But you better not give the baby some obscure crazy name!” Levi exclaimed after she pulled back and sipped her fancy non-alcoholic drink again.

“You better tell Erd not to name him or her after an old relative, that’s what _I’m_ concerned about,” she giggled with the straw between her teeth.

Levi smiled softly before sipping his own beer too. “But that doesn’t really solve my problem, ‘cause now I have a pregnant cousin and no one to drink with on New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh, we’ll find you someone,” Hanji looked around the bar, “How about those two guys by the jukebox?”

“Their shirts are ruffled. No.”

“The group by the pool table?”

“Too drunk.”

“Then how about this guy?” Hanji grabbed a random passer by the sleeve and pulled him closer.

“Hey, what gives!” the guy exclaimed before locking eyes with the pair. “Levi!”

“Jean? What the hell are you doing here?” Levi asked and turned a bit in his seat to face his co-worker.

“I’m just here celebrating with a couple of friends,” Jean laughed sheepishly and scratched his hair.

“You two know each other?” Hanji smirked interested, still with the straw between her teeth.

“Jean is a waiter down at Phoenix.”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Jean chuckled, obviously more drunk than Levi.

Hanji and Levi exchanged amused looks before Hanji spoke up again: “Why don’t you grab a chair and join us? Levi doesn’t want to drink alone and I’m on a non-alcohol diet for the next nine months.”

“I’m sure Jean’s friends will miss him if he just ditches them like that,” Levi said and shot Hanji another look, saying  ‘I don’t know this dude well enough to converse with him all night, bitch.’ Hanji just smiled and pulled a chair over, even though someone was clearly already using it.

“No no no, it’s fine! They probably won’t even notice I’m gone, I mean… They’re _way_ more drunk than me already!” Jean grinned and sat down between them.

Levi sighed but smiled at Jean as they all clinked glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appologize for the long wait. I've been busy with school and I still am, but I'll try to write whenever I have time and energy. I really appreciate all the comments and sweet words, and I'm sorry for not replying everybody. I have no idea how to deal with praise like that and I just end up giggling like an idiot and I have nothing intelligent to write back. But thank you! It really really means a lot!
> 
> I don't know when I'll be able to update again, so I hope you'll bear with my slow ass.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spring is in the air, along with tons of work for Levi as he and Erwin try to get the new restaurant ready for the grand opening.

As the new year kicked off, Levi’s assignments changed drastically. As soon as Phoenix had closed down and all the staff had been sent to work at the other two restaurants for the time being, he suddenly found himself with a whole new kind of responsibility. It turned out that Erwin hadn’t been present when his restaurant was set up in the first place, and it somehow came as a surprise to him that he would have to help plan out how the new facilities should be taken in use. Levi was completely lost in how this was going to happen but luckily Erwin enjoyed ordering people around. They had soon made a silent agreement on how they were going to get through it: Erwin would appear every day on the new location to keep an eye on the craftsmen - that were practically going to build the restaurant from scratch – and Levi would make sure all the paperwork were signed and deadlines were met.

The new restaurant was placed a lot closer to the shopping district and around half the size of the old one. It was placed in a basement which explained the cheap price but only a few steps under street level with big windows under the ceiling which made the room light and the guests were still able to enjoy the view from the window seats, plus they would be able to place tables outside during the summer.

Erwin had opposed to the lack of space but he couldn’t deny that it was the best they could get. At least the kitchen was still a proper size and he would be able to get an office with view to the alley behind the building.

Since everything else was in a very poor condition, they had hired craftsmen to turn it from something that looked like a ruined warehouse into a place where people would be able to enjoy a nice dinner. It took quite a few weeks but both Erwin and Levi were very satisfied when they were finally able to begin decorating the place and put in the furniture at the end of February.

By that time winter was finally coming to an end. The sun shone brighter and longer, and while a few snowflakes would still fall from time to time, the first spring flowers started shooting from the ground. Everybody was longing for spring and warm days to come and more and more people sought outside to enjoy their café latte in the sun, wrapped up in blankets at all the street cafés. Levi had no time for such nonsense.

Erwin had decided to throw a big opening to drag attention back to the restaurant. While Levi for once agreed with his boss, he didn’t quite agree on _how_ Erwin wanted the opening to play out.

“We move all the tables to the sides and put up a stage right here in the middle,” Erwin said and spread his arms out as they walked through the shining new room, “We set up rows of chairs in front of it for journalists and food critics, and – oh god, I hope Eren Jaeger won’t be attending,” he cut himself off and let his arm fall flat down his sides.

“He won’t,” Levi said a bit too quickly, which earned him a curious glance from Erwin. “I, err.. I’ve heard he’svery busy at the moment. My cousin works at Culture & Living Magazine and she told me.. uhh.. that they’re all very busy!”

“Your cousin’s friends with Jaeger?” Erwin asked suspiciously.

“No! No way, of course not!” Technically, Hanji had never spoken of Eren as a friend even though Levi knew by now that they used to chat a lot by the coffee machine. “They don’t even work at the same department, she just –“

“So we’ll make space for the press here,” Erwin picked up again and made a gesture at where he wanted the seats placed, “And then Zackly and I will be on the stage and tell about how Phoenix has risen from the dust and that we’re stronger than ever.”

“But this is just the first step out of the dust, we’re practically still there,” Levi objected, even though Erwin’s words had just given him an idea, “Why don’t we just talk openly about what we’re doing to get back on the feet and talk directly to the customers instead of the press? Instead of trying to sell the idea to people whose job is to judge us, why don’t we invite the people we’re going to serve every day?”

“Talk openly?” Erwin repeated, “Since when did we start doing that?” He let out a loud laugh and went to sit at the bar, waiting for Levi to make him a cup of coffee.

“Just hear me out,” Levi said as he began preparing the _Erwin Special_ without giving his action a single thought, “We invite normal people to come get a free sample of our dishes and make it clear that we know we’re depending on them and of course want to give them the best experience possible. We call the opening _‘Rising from the Dust’_ or _‘A Phoenix's Rebirth’_ – something along those lines - and make sure the guests get a great experience that they won’t forget.”

“Oh, it’s such a sweet idea and very honourable!” Erwin exclaimed and clapped his hands together, “But I already talked to Zackly about the whole stage idea and he was very interested. But maybe we can use the name, _‘The dusty Phoenix’_ or whatever you said. Anyway, we’ll need to get the invitations out to the magazines as soon as possible. I have a draft right here,” Erwin pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over in exchange of his coffee, “What do you think?”

Levi took the paper and looked at it. There wasn’t even much draft about it; it was a box with the text _‘headline’_ and then a poor drawing of a duck with the word _‘Phoenix’_ pointing at it and at the bottom a date set two weeks from where they were now.

“That’s.. err..”

“I know, you don’t have to say it. It’s impressive, right? You almost can’t believe I’ve never done this before, right?” Erwin said proudly and sipped his coffee.

“Maybe we should have a designer look at it,” Levi mumbled and handed it back to Erwin.

“No, keep it. Go talk to Zackly at his office and tell him all the details – make sure he doesn’t bring Riko to the opening! I can’t stand looking at her talentless face. She must be good at sucking dick, otherwise I have no idea how she got that job. That bitch. Don’t tell him I said that.”

“I don’t think –“ Levi started but then cut himself off, “I’ll go find a designer to do the invitations as soon as he’s approved everything, okay?”

“That was exactly what I was gonna say. Next you can find someone to put up the stage. I’ll figure out how we spice the opening up in the meantime,” Erwin smiled and took another sip of his coffee.

Levi put the draft in his pocket and was about to get his coat when they heard a voice from the entrance: “Knock knock!” Jean’s head popped in through the back of the restaurant and he smiled brightly when he saw Levi and Erwin.

“What are you doing here?” Levi asked while Erwin didn’t find it necessary to reply his waiter.

“I just wanted to come by and check how you were doing,” Jean smiled and walked closer while scratching the back of his neck.

“Don’t you have work at Nile’s restaurant?” Erwin asked and pulled out a newspaper while sipping his coffee.

“No, he gave me the day off. Wow, it’s really starting to look good now!” the waiter exclaimed and turned around himself to take in the entire room, “Good job, Levi!”

“Thanks. Well, I’ll see you around.” Levi put on his jacket and zipped it before reaching for his scarf.

“Are you leaving?” Jean asked wide-eyed.

“Yeah, I have work to do.”

“Where are you going?” Jean then asked and stepped closer to block Levi’s way out of the bar area.

“To talk to Zackly. Do you mind?” Levi wrapped the scarf around his neck and tried to move past Jean but he refused to step away.

“Is it something I can help with?” Jean asked, looking like a puppy begging for a treat.

“No, it’s fine. You really don’t have to come help us out every time you have a day off. Don’t you have a boyfriend or something you’d like to spend time with?” Levi sighed and tried to move past Jean again.

“Oh no, I really like helping you out! I mean, the sooner we get this place ready, the sooner we’ll get to work together again, right?” Jean beamed and scratched his neck again awkwardly.

“Yeah.. Jean, I really have to go now. It’s impossible to get a cab around here so –“

“I can drive you,” Jean cut him off and looked at Levi with anticipation.

Levi cocked his eyebrow. “You have a car?”

“Almost,” Jean beamed. Taking Levi’s question as a yes, he turned on his heel and took Levi to the alley where his motorcycle was parked.

“You must be out of your mind! I’m not getting on that beast!” Levi cried and stepped back as soon as he laid eyes on the black bike.

“No, come on! I’m a really good driver and I’ll let you get the helmet!” Jean insisted and walked over to get said helmet.

Levi thought about it for a moment. He would get around a lot faster if Jean drove him. Erwin hadn’t told him to come back to the restaurant after clearing his tasks, so he would be able to get the entire afternoon to himself if he agreed. He sighed and grabbed the helmet. “You better drive carefully or I’ll kick you off,” he mumbled after putting it on.

“Deal!” Jean beamed and jumped on the bike. Levi sat down behind him and tried to figure out where to place his feet. “Be careful not to touch the exhaust pipe or your shoe will melt. And uhh.. you should probably hold on to me.”

Levi groaned lowly inside the helmet and did as Jean said. He reached out and grabbed onto Jean’s jacket with both hands but avoided any kind of unnecessary body contact.

“Are you ready?” Jean asked as he kicked the bike to life.

“No!” Levi yelled back over the noise from the vehicle and tightened his grip on Jean’s jacket. A thought shot through his mind; had it been Eren in front of him this would have been a great excuse for accidentally fondling his abs. Levi shook his head just in time to swallow a shocked noise as Jean drove out of the alley and towards Zackly’s office.

Levi’s legs were shaking slightly when he climbed off of Jean’s bike, but he couldn’t really claim that Jean hadn’t tried to drive as nicely as possible. Levi handed the helmet back to the waiter and tried to get his hair under control. He was about to thank Jean for the ride and say goodbye, but Jean insisted on waiting for Levi to give him a ride to his next destination. Levi had tried to talk him out of it, but Jean had parked the bike and smiled while making it very clear that he didn’t have anything better to do.

Levi sighed at the stubborn puppy and made his way into the building. He thought about taking the stairs but then he remembered that Zackly’s office was on the 49th floor and he took a deep breath before stepping into the elevator. He hadn’t ridden one since he had gotten himself stuck with Eren. Fuck, why was Eren still popping up in his head all the fucking time? The idiot had been gone for months and the only contact they had had was the bouquet on Levi’s birthday. Levi let out a frustrated groan and almost forgot that he was riding and elevator until it stopped on the requested floor. He got out and pushed Eren to the back of his mind as he found the door to Zackly’s secretary and knocked. He was let inside and asked to take a seat until Zackly had time to see him. Luckily, it didn’t take that long:

The door to the office was opened and out walked Darius Zackly, Riko Brzenska  and –

“Petra?” Levi exclaimed, accidentally cutting Zackly off. All three looked at the chef who was now standing up, looking at his former colleague in surprise.

“Hey Levi!” Petra smiled, “Long time, no see!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, I think we’re done anyway,” Zackly said calmly and turned to Petra again, “We’ll call you within a week.”

Both Zackly and Riko shook Petra’s hand before they turned to Levi again. Riko studied Levi for a short moment before turning to re-enter the office, and Zackly gestured for Levi to follow her.

Petra smiled at Levi as he walked past her, and he was dying to find out what all this was about but it would be rude to let the two bosses wait.

“It was nice seeing you again, Levi. Let’s catch up sometime, okay?” Petra smiled and Levi managed to shoot her a nod before she left the room.

He went into the office and Zackly closed the door behind them.

“I understand that Erwin sent you here to show us something?” Zackly asked and went over to stand next to Riko in front of his huge mahogany desk. The view behind them was breath-taking and made them seem like exactly what they were; on top.

“Yes, he asked me to show you this draft he made for the invitations to the grand opening.” Levi pulled the paper sheet out of his pocket and handed it over to Zackly.

“Is that the only one you have?” Riko asked, studying Levi over the top of her sharp squared glasses.

“Yes,” Levi answered, not really sure where she was going with this.

Riko sighed and leaned in to look over Zackly’s shoulder. Levi bit his lip. This wasn’t going very well so far. For a short moment he wondered if Erwin had done this on purpose to make him look bad, but he figured that the blonde probably just didn’t want to acknowledge Riko as his boss.

“What are we supposed to do with this?” Riko then asked as Zackly sighed and placed the draft on his desk.

“I thought Erwin had already talked to you about his plans for the opening?” Levi asked, starting to feel a bit desperate under Riko’s cold glance.

“He only mentioned a stage, the press and.. oh, right, he just left a message a couple minutes ago about coming up with a perfect name for the arrangement. _‘A Phoenix's Rebirth’,_ I think he said.” Zackly picked up a sticky note from his desk to confirm what he had just said. “Catchy.”

Levi sighed. “Well, he wants you, Mr. Zackly, and himself to be on stage during the opening and talk to the press about why you chose to rebuilt the restaurant and about Phoenix’ future.” Levi explained Erwin’s plan to the two bosses who both didn’t exactly seemed impressed; Riko’s expression barely changed and Zackly just studied Levi over the top of his glasses.

“Well, I guess that plan is in tune with the way we’ve always dealt with things at the Phoenix company,” Zackly said when Levi had finished talking.

“Yeah, I believe that’s what Erwin thought too.”

“Well…” Zackly looked at Riko who just shrugged, “I guess I expected something a bit more innovative from you two. I had gotten the impression that you had the ability to think out of the box, Levi.”

“Actually –“ Levi started, suddenly desperate to tell them about his own ideas for the grand opening but Riko cut him off.

“Tell Erwin that I want to look everything over before he sends anything out. Everything must be approved by me personally – _not_ Mr. Zackly.” Her slightly Russian accent shone through more than usually as she sent Levi a firm glance.

“I’ll let Erwin know that. But can I just –“

“That’s all,” Riko cut him off again and both turned away from Levi towards Zackly’s impressive wooden desk to get on to their next task.

Levi frowned but decided that he shouldn’t get on the wrong side of Riko. She clearly wanted to show Zackly that he had picked the right one for the job – it would probably be easier to charm Zackly with his ideas if he could get the chance to talk to him alone. Hopefully they would pull him in for an interview about the manager job at Riko’s old restaurant soon.

“Thanks for your time,” Levi said politely before leaving the office again. On his way to the hallway he decided to take the stairs this time. It was a long way down but it would give him time to be alone with his own thoughts before his next trip on Jean’s iron beast from hell.

Just as promised, the waiter hadn’t moved out of his place next to his bike. He smiled widely when Levi approached him after cooling down on his long way down the stairs.

“How did it go?” Jean beamed and handed the helmet over to Levi again.

“Erwin’s gonna be happy, I guess,” Levi mumbled and looked down at the black helmet in Jean’s hand, “You really don’t have to drive me to the designer, I can walk from here.”

“It’s fine, I promise!” Jean insisted, “I really want to!”

Levi sighed and took the helmet. “Alright. Thanks, then.”

 

* * *

 

After completing his tasks, Levi returned to his home. Of course Jean insisted on driving him home too; he had asked Levi to have lunch with him but Levi just wanted to get home and enjoy the half day off he had given himself. Jean had admired the old building from the street before saying goodbye to Levi and driving off on his bike.

Levi looked forward to just spend the rest of the day alone; cleaning the apartment, taking his time to make a nice meal and maybe call Hanji to ask if her morning sickness had gotten better. Speaking of calling – maybe he should call Petra too. He was still extremely curious about what she had been doing in Zackly’s office.

While making his way up the stairs to the second floor, Levi thought about what Zackly had said to him: _I expected something a bit more innovative from you two. I had gotten the impression that you had the ability to think out of the box._ There was no limit to how much that comment bothered Levi. He _did_ have the ability to think out of the box, he had even proved it to Zackly more than once. His own idea for the grand reopening had been brilliant! He knew it would be the best move to put their money on improving the way the customers saw the restaurants, not impressing the press. At the end of the day, it was the customers that made the restaurant able to stay on its feet. Erwin could suck up to Zackly, the press and the food-critics all he wanted, but they had to make the citizens trust them and want to go to Phoenix when they wanted a nice meal. He felt frustrated but he couldn’t do anything by himself without getting in trouble. If he had only spoken up back in Zackly’s office, then –

“What the –“ Levi’s chain of thoughts were cut off as he found himself by his front-door – except he could barely see it, let alone reach it! A massive bed was resting against the wall and completely blocking the door. Levi frowned and dropped his bag in the middle of the hallway just to stomp over and try to push the heavy bed away from his door. It was hard to even get a proper grip on the massive piece of furniture and Levi cursed the idiot who had placed it there, the asshole who had built it and the tasteless shithead that had ever even thought about buying such an ugly-ass bed. “Come on!” he growled as he finally got a good grip and pulled as hard as he could. Just then the elevator door opened.

Levi looked up, ready to assault whoever it was, just in case they were the ones who put it there, or at least get them to help move it, but he suddenly lost his words.

Wrapped in a red Canada Goose and with a big box in his arms, Eren pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked out in the hallway. Levi watched him, frozen to the spot, barely believing his own eyes. It only took a few seconds for Eren to notice Levi and his face immediately changed from a relaxed, maybe slightly tired expression to his bright, charming smile. His green gems shone under his dark locks that he had apparently grown out during his stay in Denmark, and Levi felt his cheeks heat up from the attention he suddenly realized he had actually missed.

Eren had stopped as soon as he laid eyes on Levi. “Hey.” His tone was low, almost a purr, and just as flirty as it used to be before he left.

“Hey,” Levi replied and leaned against the bed. He allowed himself to send a smile back. “You’re back from…?”

“Yeah, I just arrived at the airport a couple of hours ago.”

“I see.” Levi looked away from Eren’s flirty glance, needing to avoid those eyes before they managed to hypnotize him. He cleared his throat and let his eyes rest on the big bed absentmindedly.

“Is the bed blocking your door?”

“Yeah. I tried to move it, but it’s heavy as fuck.”

Eren chuckled softly. “I guess the removal men forgot where to put it. Hang on a sec, let me move it for you.” He walked over to his own front-door and pushed the box against the wall to get a hand free. He rummaged through his pocked to get his keys and Levi had a flashback to when Eren locked himself and Ringo out of his apartment and Levi had to go through Eren’s front pockets. Luckily, Eren didn’t need help this time.

He disappeared into his apartment with the box and left the door open. Levi was curious to what the apartment looked like but had enough self-control to not look. Shortly after, Eren reappeared, this time without the red jacket and instead wearing a tight black t-shirt.

“I felt like I was about to melt! It’s practically winter in Denmark for six whole months. Can you believe they still had snow when I left? It’s almost spring here!” Eren said and picked Levi’s bag up from the floor. He handed it over with another smile.

Levi accepted it, and couldn’t stop his running mouth before it said something stupid; “You look kinda hot too.”

Eren’s smile widened. “Thanks, baby,” he winked, before turning his eyes to the bed, trying to figure out how to attack the beast. He went to the other end, deciding to try and pull in backwards into his apartment, but he didn’t realize how impossible it was to control until he tried to lift it. Instead of allowing him to drag it, the bed first slammed against the wall and next threatened to fall to the floor.

Levi reached out to help Eren steady the bed and keep it balanced.

“Shit, it’s a lot heavier than it looks!” Eren growled from the other end of the bed.

Levi suppressed a chuckle; it was kind of enjoyable to see Eren out of his cocky comfort zone.

“Do you want a hand?” he asked and bit his lip to suppress another laugh when he saw Eren’s desperate and completely red face.

“Yes! Please!” Eren growled, still trying to lift and pull the bed.

Levi dropped his bag again and pulled his brown leather jacket off. He squatted down and grabbed onto the bed again and this time, they actually managed to lift it together. However, the bed had no intention of going down without a fight.

While it was easier to move it together, it was practically impossible to keep it balanced between them; on their way into Eren’s apartment the bed slammed against every possible surface within reach. The door took a blow and the ceiling managed to get a few scrapes too from the corners of the bed that both Eren and Levi kept forgetting to keep an eye out for. After about ten minutes of drudgery, the bed was finally back on its four legs in Eren’s half empty bedroom.

Eren let out an exhausted pant and looked at Levi while running a hand through his messy shoulder-long hair. “Thanks, love,” he smiled.

“No problem,” Levi panted while looking around in the simple room. It dawned on him that this was the first time he had set his feet in Eren’s apartment, let alone his bedroom. He had honestly expected it to be a distasteful mix of a messy teenage-room and a brothel, but Eren’s taste turned out to be very simple. Now that he thought about it he realized that of course a grown-ass man wouldn’t have an apartment like that, especially not if he took care of his nephew sometimes. And to be even more honest, Eren wasn’t as horrible as Levi first thought. On the contrary, actually; only a grown, yet slightly cocky man could kiss like Eren…

Levi looked up and caught Eren’s eyes which were still studying him with a smile. Levi cleared his throat and changed his weight from one leg to the other. “How was Denmark?” he mumbled while avoiding Eren’s bright eyes.

“Cold. It’s good to be back.” Eren stretched his back and looked at his bed. “For other reasons than just the weather.”

Through the last couple of months, Levi had managed to forget exactly _how_ allusive Eren’s tone could be. The lack of control and Eren’s blunt way of saying exactly what the fuck he wanted made Levi want to slam a door in his face but he couldn’t deny that he really _had_ missed the attention. However, there was one question that kept nagging in the back of his mind. Something that could easily ruin his slowly changing view on Eren. “What about your old jobs?” he asked without looking at Eren.

“What about it?” Eren asked and began pushing the bed so the headboard was up against the wall.

“Well, are you going to work there again now that you’re back? Or maybe you’re going to Denmark again soon?” The last question didn’t really have anything to do with the rest but Levi really wanted an answer to that too.

“I’m still the head of the culinary-department at _Culture & Living Magazine. _They really can’t manage without me.” Eren grinned and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Levi, “I’m not going back to the newspaper, though. I got a bit bored with reviewing restaurants when I went to Denmark – they really have the most absurd dishes! And they can’t agree upon what their national dish is! Anyway, I came across something much more interesting while I was there and so I found myself a new job.”

Levi couldn’t believe his own ears. If this was another one of his stupid dreams – no, it couldn’t be. He hadn’t dreamed about Eren since he left and those dreams used to be a lot more… _explicit._ This was almost too good to be true. Admitted, when Levi first came to hate Eren was when the cocky shit spilled coffee all over him on his first day working at Phoenix, but the second – and most important reason – was the fact that they worked on the opposite sides of Phoenix’ bankruptcy. And if Eren wasn’t going to continue working as a shitty critic anymore – if he wasn’t going to try and shoot the restaurant down – then Eren’s teasing, suggestive comments and oversized coral-coloured cardigan were the only reasons Levi had left to find Eren annoying. Levi’s thoughts were racing though his mind. He simply wouldn’t _have_ to dislike Eren Jaeger only because it was a matter of principle. He looked back at Eren, who was still smiling at him with his long brown hair pushed back and black t-shirt embracing his biceps. Levi’s thoughtful expression didn’t change. Maybe, just maybe, he could actually figure out if he – the person Levi, not the chef Levi – wanted to give that handsome shitface a chance… Unless –

“And don’t worry,” Eren added and leaned back a bit with his palms against the mattress, “I’m not going back to Denmark. _Or anywhere else.”_

Levi studied Eren, whose smile just grew wider as he glanced back. A smile tugged at the corner of Levi’s lips and he let out a sigh; again with the alluring tone. Eren was hopelessly overconfident.

Levi huffed out a single laugh. “Are you sure? Sounds like a party to have frostbitten balls for six months straight.”

“I hardly noticed. I got used to it after your cold treatment,” Eren smirked and cocked his eyebrow.

“Oh, really? I was certain that was exactly what you wanted.” Levi crossed his arms under his chest and smirked back. “I believe you once told me you always get what you want.”

Eren got up and moved closer to Levi. He stopped right in front of him and placed his palm against the wall behind the shorter man. “I usually do. Right now I’ve got you in my apartment. Gorgeous and in a good mood,” he purred and looked down at Levi. His brown locks fell down messy over his forehead and eyes, and made them seem like they were shining like Christmas lights under the dark curtain of hair. Levi felt trapped but now that Eren wasn’t working against him anymore, he actually didn’t mind. Eren’s face was dangerously close to his own and he could feel the hot breath from those soft lips he had come to know very well a couple of months earlier.

“I’m always in a good mood,” Levi purred back and turned his face up towards Eren’s. He locked eyes with the taller man and continued; “Unless some asswipe decides to spill caramel latte all over my white shirt.”

Eren let out a low chuckle and for a moment his eyes turned to genuine amusement. “You know, I really wanted to make it up to you, love.”

“By spilling red wine all over my uniform?” Levi teased, deciding that he was more than entitled to finally get back at Eren for all his teasing.

“By taking you out for dinner,” Eren purred, unmoved by Levi’s reply. He leaned in closer, his eyes still locked with Levi’s, but Levi turned his face to the side just in time to avoid their lips crashing. He might be almost willing to give Eren a chance but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be at least a little hard to get. If Eren got the impression that he could leave for almost half a year and then pick up where they left off as soon as he got back, his cockiness would just go right through the roof.

The soft lips brushed against Levi’s cheek instead and Eren smiled against his skin. The scent of Levi’s dark hair found its way to Eren’s nose and he inhaled softly before whispering against Levi’s ear; “Unless there’s something else you want?”

A satisfied smile danced over Levi’s lips. Luckily, Eren couldn’t see it. Oh, how good it felt to be able to actually stay partly in control of the situation, now that he didn’t really have to control himself anymore. Eren’s soft whisper in his ears and his day-old stubbles against his jawline were exactly what he wanted right now. His body felt hot and it was tempting to take a step closer and feel Eren’s body against his own, or maybe just reach out and feel those amazing abs through his shirt. However, Levi had something much more satisfying in mind right now.

Eren leaned in a bit closer and placed a soft kiss on Levi’s cheek and Levi let out a pleased sigh. Eren probably thought this was enough to make him blush and make his knees shiver. Hell, he probably thought this was enough to get him what he wanted! _Fool…_

Levi reached up and ran his fingers through Eren’s hair before grabbing a fistful and pulling Eren back to lock eyes with him again. Eren looked down at him with slightly parted lips and burning green eyes. Levi smiled teasingly and tightened his grip. “Oh, I know how you can make it up to me, Eren Jaeger,” he purred.

“Yeah?” Eren breathed. His eyes flashed between Levi’s eyes and his lips.

“Yeah,” Levi hummed. He let go of Eren’s hair and took a step back. “For now, you can make me a cup of coffee.”

Eren looked completely baffled for a moment until he realized what was going on. Levi sent him a teasing smile and turned to leave the room and go get his belongings on the hallway. He could feel Eren’s eyes follow him until he was out of sight, and while picking up his stuff from the hallway-floor, he congratulated himself on finally showing Eren Fuckface Jaeger who was the boss.

He unlocked the door to his apartment and stepped inside to put his jacket on a hanger and dump his bag on the floor. He took a moment to check his reflection in the mirror by the small table where he used to leave his keys and other things he needed on a daily basis. He ran a hand through his hair and made sure every single strand was under control before straightening the shirt under his dark grey pullover.

_“Getting ready for a date?”_ his reflection teased.

“If that’s the case, then you’re not invited,” Levi mumbled and checked his hair one last time before turning his back to the mirror. He put his keys back into his pocket and closed the door behind him.

As he returned to Eren’s apartment, he figured that this was a good opportunity to check out the rooms. Eren was nowhere to be seen in the bedroom so Levi decided to sneak a peek at his bathroom before going to the kitchen where he could hear Eren rummage around. He pushed the door next to the bedroom open and saw a huge, gorgeous bathroom. It was obvious that when the apartment had been split into two, this apartment had gotten the original bathroom. There was a big bathtub up against the opposite wall from the door and a shower cabinet in the corner next to it. The counter was probably about a meter and a half wide with a porcelain sink in the middle and a simple oval mirror behind it on the wall. The toilet was in the corner next to the door and there were a few shelves on the wall, all empty. There were a few boxes placed randomly around on the floor; it looked like Eren had taken most of his stuff with him to Denmark and of course he hadn’t had time to unpack yet.

Levi closed the door again and went through the hall, heading to the kitchen and living room. The hall was practically empty too, aside from a few framed band posters and vinyl records hanging on the walls.

As he stepped into the largest room in the apartment – the living room with the kitchen in the right corner – Levi noticed that it was almost the same as his own, except it was mirrored. Tall windows covered the wall to the street and the door to their shared balcony was open, letting the crispy air inside the apartment. The furniture seemed to already be in place but there were a lot of boxes up against the walls and a few on Eren’s dining table. In here, the walls were also decorated with framed posters and even two guitars on one of the walls.

Just as expected, Levi found Eren in the kitchen, rummaging through a box. There were a few open boxes on the floor and a bag on the counter. Eren pulled two mugs out of the box and placed them on the counter before he noticed Levi.

“I just realized that I don’t have any milk for the coffee. I’ll go buy some right away, just make yourself comfortable,” he said and reached for his jacket, “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Don’t sweat it, I have milk at my place. I’ll go get some.” Levi turned to go back again but then stopped and poked his head back into the kitchen. “You’re gonna wash those off before making coffee, right?” He nodded towards the mugs.

“Of course! Though, I seem to have forgotten to buy dish soap as well.” Eren chuckled and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

Levi cocked his brow at him. “Well... I’ll get some dish soap too, then.” He left the apartment to get the stuff and returned a few minutes later with milk, soap and a sponge to clean the mugs. “I assumed you’d need this too,” he noted as he handed over the cleaning supplies.

“Oh yeah, good thinking!” Eren smiled and went to the sink to clean the two mugs, both obviously souvenirs from his trip; one was a typical _‘I heart Copenhagen’_ -mug and the other had a picture of what seemed to be a poor drawing of The Little Mermaid. Eren washed the mugs and brushed a bit of dust away from the counter to have a ‘clean’ spot to place them before looking for a dishcloth.

“I’ll go get a cloth,” Levi sighed when Eren began looking desperate.

“I’m sure I have one somewhere!” Eren insisted while looking though drawers and cabinets, most of them seemed to be completely empty.

“You know, I’d like to get that cup of coffee _today_ ,” Levi teased and leaned against the counter.

Eren looked up with a defeated sigh, obviously annoyed with himself but still smiling. “Alright… thanks – again!”

“And, ehh.. how about I get some supplies to clean up the kitchen a bit too?” Levi suggested and looked around at the dusty surfaces and all the mess Eren had made in his attempt to find mugs and a dishcloth.

“Yeah, uhh.. good idea,” Eren mumbled as he followed Levi’s eyes.

“And maybe the floor needs to be cleaned too? You’ve been away for almost six months after all,” Levi continued as he noticed just how dusty the apartment was.

“You know, I was just thinking the same!” Eren chuckled and scratched the back of his neck again. He sent Levi a wide, charming smile when Levi looked at him with a disbelieving glance.

“Right,” he huffed and turned away to go back to his own place again to get more cleaning supplies. As he entered his own apartment he remembered his intention of calling Hanji and figured he might as well check up on her while gathering the things. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and called her as soon as he had closed his front door.

“Kill me,” Hanji groaned as her greeting when she picked up.

“It’s still that bad, huh?” Levi asked and held the phone between his ear and shoulder as he knelt down to get the cleaning supplies from under his kitchen sink.

“It’s gotten worse! I’ve been throwing up all morning and today I noticed that my feet are starting to swell! That’s not supposed to happen until I look like a whale!”

“Did you try the ginger tea I told you about?”

“I was gonna but then I realized that Erd bought cinnamon tea instead. And I learned that the smell of cinnamon makes me feel even sicker! I could have murdered him but he’s taking such good care of me. He even promised to massage my huge-ass mutant feet when he comes back from work tonight,” Hanji sighed but Levi could hear the smile on her face.

“How is he, by the way? I went to his bar last weekend but he wasn’t there.”

“He’s fine. He’s so excited about the baby and I’m just grumpy all the time.” Hanji paused and - from the sound of it - took a sip of her beverage. “Oh yeah, he managed to convince his boss to not work night-shifts because he wants to be home at night. He’s looking for another job but I think it’s hard for him to stop working at the bar. He’s been there for the past three years now and I know he loves it.”

“Yeah, but he loves you too. I’m sure he just wants to make sure he can support you both and –“ Levi accidentally knocked over a bottle of Windex, “Fuck.”

“What are you doing?” Hanji asked curiously.

“Nothing. Just looking for a bucket to clean the floor,” Levi mumbled absent-mindedly and looked at the knocked over bottle, deciding that Eren’s windows could probably use some cleaning-love too.

“Cleaning day?”

“No, actually…” Levi grabbed the supplies he needed and got up on his feet again, “My shitty neighbour has returned.”

A loud squeal sounded from the other end: _“What? Eren’s back?”_

“I’m sorry, I think I just turned deaf – what did you say?” Levi huffed and walked over to his window to look outside.

“Oh my god, Levi! What happened? What did he say? Did you get a hot greeting? Oh my god, you had hot sex! Probably right there on the floor! I know you did! You couldn’t keep your obnoxiously clean hands away from him! That’s why you’re cleaning the floor now!”

“Wow, did you accidentally throw up your sanity during the last couple of weeks?” Levi asked, his voice loud from dumbfoundedness, “You’re fucking crazy! No, I did _not_ have sex with him!”

“Aww, you didn’t let him cream your seam?” Hanji sounded disappointed.

“I’m hanging up now!”

“No! No, don’t hang up!” Hanji exclaimed, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Okay, so Eren came back… and?”

“And nothing,” Levi sighed, deciding to let it go. He knew Hanji was bored out of her mind. She had had to take a couple of weeks off due to her extreme morning sickness that usually lasted way past lunch-hour. And Hanji rarely enjoyed a day alone on the couch in front of the TV. He knew she was longing to get back to her job. Levi bit his lip. “I bumped into him in the hallway. His bed was blocking my door so I helped his carry it into his apartment.”

“You helped him move his bed? That almost symbolic!” Hanji sounded like she was biting her tongue to keep herself from squealing again.

“No. His bed was blocking my door. I had to help him,” Levi replied and turned his attention to his balcony as something caught his eye, “Oh my god…”

“What now? What is it?”

Levi had to stifle a laugh. “He’s on his balcony right now. Oh my god, he’s shaking a carpet!”

Eren looked across Levi’s balcony, smiling and waving at him before continuing to shake the carpet over the railing.

“I’ve never seen so much dust in my entire life!” Levi chuckled and bit his lip again, “And he’s shaking it right in front of the open door! All the dust is going right back into his apartment!”

“You sound happy,” Hanji stated, obviously smiling.

“No, it’s just…” Levi sighed, still smiling at the stupid display on the balcony, “He has no idea what he’s doing. Hanji, I better go help.”

“Yeah, go save your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my –“

“Call me back later. I wanna hear all about your little cleaning date.” Hanji hung up before Levi could reply so he just sighed again and put the phone back into his pocket.

He returned to Eren’s apartment shortly after, just as Eren came back inside and – to Levi’s great relief – left the apartment door open. After Eren’s attempt to clean the carpet, Levi could practically see all the dust in the air.

“Here.” He handed over the bucket containing the bottle of Windex, a bag of soap flake and a cloth and a broom he used to clean his own floors with.

“Thanks,” Eren smiled and looked through the bucket curiously while Levi went to the kitchen to dry off the mugs and finally get the cup of coffee he had demanded. “You really think my apartment is that dirty?” Eren grinned sheepishly and went to the counter to keep Levi company while the latter poured hot water and Eren’s instant coffee – which sadly was all he had – into the two mugs.

“Yes,” Levi said immediately and looked at Eren with a hard glance, making it clear that he did indeed think it was dirty, “You’ve been gone for _six months!”_

Eren bit his lip to keep himself from telling Levi how good he looked in his kitchen, knowing that he would probably leave if he told him that he wouldn’t mind him there a little more often. Instead he smiled, slightly obedient and picked up the Windex bottle. “Well, I suppose I’d better get on with it before the dust bunnies start attacking,” he grinned and began spraying Windex over the floor before scrubbing it with the broom.

“What the hell are you doing?” Levi spluttered and pulled the Windex-bottle out of Eren’s hand, “Shouldn’t you maybe use, I don’t know, _water instead?_ ”

“Err.. well,” Eren chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“And maybe use a vacuum cleaner first? But of course you don’t have one of those either, do you?” Levi sighed, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

“No, I’ve got one! It’s just.. I forgot it in Denmark.”

“You forgot it in Denmark?”

“Yep! They’ll probably send it to me in a couple of weeks,” Eren tried, still with the broom in his hand.

“I’ll go get mine,” Levi sighed and went back to his own apartment for the umpteenth time.

He spent the rest of the day in Eren’s apartment, helping him clean everything up while Eren entertained him with what he had seen and experienced in Denmark. After they were done cleaning and Eren had made another cup of coffee for them both he offered to order food as a thank you but Levi realized that he wasn’t very good at playing hard to get and decided it would be best if he went back to his own place, had a proper meal and called Hanji back.

Eren helped Levi carry all his cleaning supplies back to his place and Levi placed everything just inside the apartment to make sure Eren didn’t get inside – he was still dead-set on playing hard to get and that would get really hard with Eren in his apartment.

“Thanks for helping me get everything back here,” Levi murmured, standing in the doorway. He didn’t really have anything to thank Eren for seeing that Levi had been the one to help Eren but it was the only thing he could think of saying.

“Anytime, love,” Eren hummed and leaned against the doorframe.

Levi looked up just as Eren leaned down to kiss him, and managed to turn his face away so Eren’s lips brushed against his cheek again.

“I’m not gonna help you clean ever again if you keep doing that,” Levi teased as he cocked his chin slightly upwards into the kiss.

Eren let out a soft chuckle and nuzzled his nose against Levi’s hair, inhaling soundlessly. “It’s okay. At least you’re not slamming the door in my face anymore,” he purred and moved back a bit to lock eyes with Levi again.

“You sure about that?” Levi purred back, returned the glance with a smirk and closed the door before Eren could manage to answer. He knew he had probably just missed a dinner invitation from Eren but if Levi knew him well, he would receive another one within a couple of days.

 

* * *

 

Three days after Eren’s return, Levi was enjoying his morning coffee along with the view from his apartment; the trees outside were starting to look light green and everything really began to feel like spring. His mood had been exceptionally good the past couple of days even though Erwin had acted like the Queen of England was coming to visit the new restaurant ever since Zackly had told him to go on with his plan for the grand opening. He was a pain in the ass, alright, but Levi could finally see an end to all the planning and moving and painting and all the other shitty work that stood between Levi and the true love of his life; cooking. Jean had dropped by every day since he had driven Levi to Zackly’s office, insisting on helping Levi out but had spent most of his time standing in the way – but it was really okay! For some reason, Levi hadn’t felt annoyed with him – at least not _extremely_ annoyed.

Levi took another long sip of his coffee and sighed happily. He hadn’t really seen much of Eren since he helped him out with cleaning the apartment but he had heard him rummage around on the other side of the wall. Levi had forgotten how noisy the brunette was but it was actually kind of nice to know he was in there again.

Levi was suddenly struck with extreme annoyance at his own thoughts and quickly emptied his mug to busy himself before his mind ran away with him again. He quickly cleaned the dishes after his breakfast and decided it was probably warm enough outside to put out the toughest of his potted fresh herbs.

He opened the balcony door and shivered slightly as the air hit his skin. He shook it off and pushed the small table up against the railing to give the herbs as much sun as possible. The pots had been stashed in the window by his dinner table during the winter and Levi quickly picked up as many as he could carry before walking back out on his balcony – only to be met with Eren Jaeger, standing by the wall that separated their balconies, wearing a red fluffy robe, bed hair and a sleazy smile. Levi approached him without changing his expression and placed the herbs on the table.

“Hey gorgeous,” Eren hummed in a tone that sounded like he had just woken up.

“Morning. That’s a new one,” Levi mumbled and moved the pots around on the table for no reason at all.

“Doesn’t make it any less true. I picked up a few new pet-names in Denmark, just for you.”

“Really now?” Levi picked up a pot with basil to examine the leaves. “What happened to the mandatory ugly-ass souvenir? Or are pet-names in a language I don’t understand all I get?” He turned his head a bit to send Eren a teasing smile.

Eren’s face cracked in a wide smile and he let out a soft laugh. “Now that you mention it, I actually did buy you an ugly-ass souvenir. Hang on a sec.” Eren turned around and disappeared into his apartment, leaving Levi alone and surprised. It only took Eren a minute to find the present and he reappeared with a hand hidden behind his back. “I didn’t want to get it gift-wrapped ‘cause... well, the wrappings were the only thing in the store that was uglier than the item itself.”

Levi looked down at the horrible piece of ‘clothing’ that Eren had handed over, shining bright red and white in the early spring morning, made out of what had to be the cheapest and ugliest fabric he had ever seen. “You bought me a hat?” he frowned, even though the word ‘hat’ was definitely used very freely in this context. It had the shape of a Viking helmet but with little bells hanging from the horns and long yarn ponytails hanging from each side – all in the colours of the proud Danish flag and it was really the ugliest thing Levi had ever seen. “You can’t be serious.”

“Put it on!”

“No! I don’t even want this hideous piece of crap in my apartment!”

“I thought you might say something like that, which is exactly why I bought it.” Eren took the hat back and smiled widely at Levi. “After receiving something this horrible I thought you might be happy to receive a dinner invitation instead. I have a presentation at my new job today but we should be finished pretty early, so how about tonight?”

“No,” Levi said immediately, mostly out of habit, but before he could continue, Eren put the horrible hat on.

“How about now? You can’t say no to a man who’s wearing something this horrible,” Eren grinned and Levi almost dropped the pot he was still holding. He hid his mouth behind his hand to muffle his laugh; Eren looked completely ridiculous.

“What I meant to say was,” Levi chuckled and tried to wipe the smile off of his face without any luck, “I can’t go out tonight. I have to stand in in one of the other restaurants so I won’t be back until late tonight.”

Eren quickly pulled the hat off again with a false pout. “I knew this hat wouldn’t work,” he sighed hopelessly and smiled again as he noticed Levi chewing on his lip to keep himself from laughing again.

Levi looked down at the pot with basil in his hands until he was sure Eren wasn’t wearing the ugly-ass hat anymore. Was he really going to say yes to going out with Eren? “I’m free tomorrow, though,” Levi mumbled and looked up at Eren again.

“Sorry, love, I can’t tomorrow. I’m going to spend a couple of days at my mother’s house. She’s still giving me hell for spending Christmas in Denmark and she won’t forgive me until I visit her and pretend to be a good son,” Eren smiled and ran his fingers through his long hair before pulling his robe a bit tighter around his body as he visibly shivered from the still crisp air.

Levi nodded in understanding, not really sure what to say. “I guess I’ll just see you around then,” he mumbled and fiddled a bit with a basil leaf.

“I’ll be back on the 10th?” Eren offered and leaned against the wall between their balconies.

Levi was about to say yes but then realized that the 10th of March would be only a few days before the grand opening and Erwin would probably be completely stressed out and impossible to work with which meant Levi would have an exceptional amount of extra work up until the opening. “I’ll probably be busy with work up until the 14th,” he mumbled bitterly.

“Then let’s go out on the 14th,” Eren smiled and leaned in closer, making it impossible for Levi to avoid his eyes.

“Only if you throw that hat out,” Levi insisted and frowned down at the souvenir in Eren’s hand.

“I promise,” Eren laughed and threw it on a chair on his own side of the balcony before looking up to lock eyes with Levi again. “I’ll come pick you up.”

“Shouldn’t I pick _you_ up instead? I have to walk past your door to get to the stairs anyway,” Levi teased and smirked slightly, still hugging the basil.

“That would be easier, yes, but I don’t mind making a little detour to pick you up,” Eren smirked back and reached out a bit to nuzzle the back of Levi’s hand with his fingertips.

Both looked down at Eren’s fingers brushing against Levi’s hand and the latter blushed slightly as he felt his stomach tighten in excitement. For a moment Levi completely forgot why he had hated Eren so much to begin with; the coffee spill on his shirt and all the bad reviews were completely forgotten and he only remembered Eren’s soft lips and the things he had said to Levi the night before he went to Denmark: ‘ _They didn’t get you. I get you.’_ Maybe he really did. God, those lips looked way to inviting…

“So we have a date on the 14th?” Eren smiled, breaking Levi’s chain of thoughts.

“Yeah, okay,” Levi mumbled and looked away to keep himself from leaning in and kissing Eren. Why was it again that he couldn’t kiss the bastard? Oh yeah, he was playing hard to get.

“Great. I can’t wait, love.” Eren’s fingers wrapped around Levi’s and gently pulled his hand up to place a soft kiss against Levi’s hand while his eyes shone in a cheeky smile.

Levi chewed on his lip, feeling another blush sneak in but he kept his eyes locked with Eren’s, knowing that was exactly what the asshole wanted him to do. Was it really legal to be that charming?

“Anyway, I don’t have time to stand here and let you drool all over my hand all day,” Levi finally said and sent Eren a dry glance as he pulled his hand back, “I have to go to work.”

“It’s okay, I already got what I wanted,” Eren grinned and wiggled his brows suggestively as he pushed himself away from the wall. “Have a nice day, darling. I’ll be thinking about you.” He walked backwards inside his apartment again and blew Levi a teasing kiss before closing the door.

Levi let out a frustrated sigh, not really sure why. He quickly placed the last pot in the sun and went back inside to get ready to leave for work.

 

* * *

 

Almost two weeks went by without Levi seeing much of Eren, partly because Eren was gone for ten days and partly because everything got extremely busy down at the new restaurant, just as Levi had predicted. He had heard Eren rummage around in his apartment and caught a few glimpses of him across the balconies through the glass door but Levi had been busy and Eren had seemed very busy as well.

On March 14th Levi got up very early to be at the restaurant at 7 am. He was happy to see that he was the first one there, since it would give him time to find out what needed to be done before the grand opening at 4 pm. Gunther, Aurou, Sasha, Jean and the other staff members from Erwin’s restaurant were going to be there around midday to help set up everything and prepare a light snack for the press. Levi had no idea when Erwin would be there but he hoped he could get a couple of hours alone.

Levi started by sweeping the floor before moving on to clean the bar where all the snacks and champagne would be lined up. He went on to clean all the champagne glasses and was almost done when Erwin and Jean walked into the restaurant.

“Hi Levi!” Jean beamed and ran up to the bar, hoping to be able to help Levi, while eagerly trying to shake off his jacket.

“You’re early,” Levi pointed out as greeting and placed another sparkling clean champagne glass next to the ones he had already cleaned.

“Yeah! I wanted to help out!” Jean smiled happily and finally managed to get rid of his jacket before handing it over one of the tall chairs by the bar. “Do you want me to help wipe the glasses?”

“Jean, go roll out the red carpet!” Erwin cut him off before Levi could answer and slammed a colossal hand down on the waiter’s shoulder while smiling widely, “We have so much to do! Levi, make me a cup of coffee!”

Erwin was obviously extremely energetic today but at least he wasn’t freaking out. Jean looked like someone had told him that Santa didn’t exist but did as Erwin told and went to look for the red carpet in the storage room behind the kitchen.

“Isn’t a red carpet a bit too much?” Levi asked, and turned to the coffee machine to make Erwin’s coffee.

“Nothing’s too much! This is gonna be the most glamorous grand opening ever seen in years!” Erwin smiled and sat by the bar, waiting.

Levi decided not to comment further and handed the cup over before continuing cleaning the glasses.

Erwin took a long sip of his coffee, let out a happy sigh and got up again. “It looks like you’ve got everything under control here. I’ll be in my office if you need me,” he smiled before leaving Levi to himself again, making the latter sigh in relief.

He managed to get the glasses ready before Jean returned with the carpet, barely able to carry it himself. Levi jumped out to help him and they managed to roll it out together, the carpet leading from the entrance to where Erwin had planned the stage to be.

While Erwin spent a couple of hours in his office, doing god knows what, Levi and Jean managed to put up the stage and line up the chairs on each side of the carpet. Both took a moment to sit down and take a short break while looking at what they had managed to put together in a couple of hours.

“Good job, Jean,” Levi hummed, happy to see that the worst part was over with now.

“Yeah, you too.” Jean turned in his seat to look at Levi, smiling widely at the praise. “Hey, umm.. are you hungry?”

“Kinda,” Levi answered and returned Jean’s glance with a questioning look, “Why?”

“I was just, umm, thinking,” Jean mumbled and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, “I know there’s still a lot to do and stuff, but, err.. well, we could maybe get some lunch?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Levi nodded and got up from his chair, “Can you go pick something up? I’ll ask Erwin if he wants anything.”

“Oh, umm.. I was kinda thinking that we could go out together?” Jean said quickly and got up, blushing heavily as Levi turned back to look at him again.

Levi cocked his eyebrow in confusion. “That seems like a bit of a waste. Like you said, there’s still a lot to do and I don’t see why we’d need to be two to pick up lunch for three people.”

“I.. I.. I’ll go get a couple of pizzas,” Jean mumbled and grabbed his jacket and disappeared out through the back entrance.

Levi looked after him, slightly confused, but then shook it off and went to Erwin’s office to tell him that Jean had gone to get lunch. He didn’t get very far though, as someone went through the main entrance just as he was about to leave.

Levi was surprised to see Zackly – and especially Riko – stand by the door and looking around. He quickly approached them, reaching out to greet them with a handshake.

“Erwin didn’t say you’d be here already, Mr. Zackly,” Levi said, hoping for some kind of explanation before shaking Riko’s hand as well.

“We decided to be here early,” Zackly replied and stepped in to inspect the room with Riko following him.

“I’ll go get Erwin,” Levi mumbled and quickly went to his boss’ office. He knocked on the door and opened it before Erwin could answer, only to see Erwin lay on his couch sleeping. “Erwin. _Erwin!_ ”

Erwin woke up with a yelp and looked around with sleepy eyes until he spotted Levi.

“Zackly and Riko are here!” Levi hissed to make sure they wouldn’t hear him.

Erwin yawned but cut himself off. “Riko?! She’s not supposed to be here!” he hissed back as he sat up.

“Well, she’s here and you should go entertain them while I get everything ready.” Levi waited for his boss to get up. Levi quickly straightened Erwin’s tie and shirt while Erwin yawned again and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Stupid bitch, thinking she can waltz in here and just steal my spotlight,” Erwin mumbled, mostly to himself as he left the office with Levi right behind him.

Levi had to admire one thing about Erwin, and that was his ability to put up an act when needed. He treated Zackly and Riko with extreme friendliness, almost like a circus manager. Levi noticed that Erwin tried to cut Riko out a few times but without any luck.

Jean came back after 45 minutes with a stack of pizzas and Levi quickly filled him in on the fact that Zackly and Riko were there and after an awkward introduction, they all had a few slices of pizza in even more awkward silence.

After cleaning up, Erwin took Zackly and Riko to his office and Levi and Jean continued the preparations without any more distractions. The other staff members came into the restaurant around midday and the chefs began preparing the snacks while the other waiters helped Levi and Jean preparing for the press to arrive.

The first journalists came 30 minutes early and Levi quickly showed them inside, introduced himself and had the waiters bring glasses of champagne around while Levi answered any questions they might have. Erwin appeared as soon as he heard that the journalists were starting to arrive and pushed Levi aside to chat with the ones from the most prestigious magazines.

Levi subconsciously looked for Eren every time he heard the door open but then reminded himself that he wasn’t working as a food critic anymore. Still, _Culture & Living Magazine _would be sure to send a journalist and that might as well be Eren, right? Levi went to get the guest list and looked it over, searching for either Eren’s name or the name of the magazine. He let out a relieved sigh when he realized that Eren wasn’t coming.

He checked his watch, noticing that it was almost time to start, and walked over to Erwin who was in the middle of being insulted by a journalist without realizing. “It’s time,” Levi mumbled and went to the door to lock it while Erwin excused himself and went back to his office to get Zackly and Riko. As Levi was about to lock up, three men walked up and knocked on the door.

“I’m sorry, there’s a private arrangement today,” Levi said after opening the door. He didn’t recognize any of the men from the guest lists and they didn’t seem to have invitations either.

“Erwin Smith?” one of the men asked. He was tall and slim with stubbles, a trench coat and a bowler hat with a white band around it.

“No, that’s my boss,” Levi mumbled, his brows furrowing slightly.

“My name is Kenny Ackerman, I work for Food & Drug Administration. We’re here to inspect the restaurant,” the man said and pushed his way into the restaurant.

“Wait, wait, wait! You can’t do that today,” Levi exclaimed and moved to block the way.

“This is a new restaurant, isn’t it?” Kenny Ackerman asked and glanced degradingly down at Levi, “You’re just about to open, right?”

Levi nodded at both questions and looked over his shoulder to make sure none of the journalists had noticed anything.

“Yeah, you’re not opening anything until we’ve looked everything over,” Kenny Ackerman huffed and tried to push past Levi again.

“No wait, we haven’t touched the kitchen since we bought this place. The previous owner had it checked over and it passed inspection without any notes. There’s no reason for you to be here and especially not today!” Levi insisted and glared up at the taller man.

“New rules,” Ackerman brushed him off and handed over a document before managing to push his way into the restaurant. Levi quickly scanned the document; apparently Kenny Ackerman was right – every new restaurant had to be looked over by the Food & Drug Administration before they were allowed to serve food, regardless of the last inspection of the locals.

“Wait, you gotta talk to my boss about it. I’m just a regular chef, I can’t let you into the kitchen.” Levi grabbed onto Kenny Ackerman’s sleeve and sent him a stubborn look. “I’ll take you to his office.”

Levi let go but made sure they all three followed to Erwin’s office where he quickly knocked and opened the door. “Erwin, these three gentlemen are here from Food & Drug Administration. They say they’re here to inspect the restaurant and that they can’t allow the opening until we’re approved.”

“What?” Erwin exclaimed and got up from his seat. “Didn’t you tell them that the previous owner –“

“I did but the rules have been changed.”

“We’re shutting down the place until everything has been inspected,” Kenny Ackerman said and stepped into the room.

Erwin was about to object but Zackly stepped in to shake hands with Kenny Ackerman and introduce himself and Riko.

“This can’t be happening,” Erwin whispered to himself as Levi moved up to stand next to him.

“How is this even legal?” Levi asked one of the other men, “You can’t just walk in here without notice and shut it down when we’re about to throw a grand opening! There is about 30 journalists out there, waiting for information about this restaurant!”

“I suggest you tell them to come back another day then,” the man shrugged, “It’s all in that document in your hand.”

“You’re supposed to send out a message when the rules are changed, otherwise it’s extremely fucking hard to follow them,” Levi growled as Erwin sank to his chair with his face buried in his hands.

“We did. It’s was sent out today.”

Zackly pulled out his phone and looked over his mails, only to agree with the men that he had received a message about the new rule. Kenny Ackerman told them in details how they – according to the new rule – should have ordered an inspection before setting a date for the opening, and that it would take the rest of the day to look everything through and then a week to go through all the tests they were going to take. According to him, it was all in order to launch a new system that would make it easier for customers to avoid restaurants that didn’t do well during inspections. “The new system is called The Smiley System. After the inspection you get a food inspection record with one of four smileys on it, either saying ‘had no remarks’, ‘has emphasized that certain rules must be obeyed’,’ issued an injunction order or a prohibition’ or ‘issued an administrative fine, reported the enterprise to the police or withdrew an approval’.The four different smileys signal how well the enterprise does comply with food regulations. The smileys appear at the top of the food inspection report and the reports must be displayed for consumers to read, before deciding to enter a restaurant,” Kenny Ackerman said dryly, more eager to move onto the inspection.

“You won’t find anything,” Levi huffed, knowing that the entire place had to be spotless since he had just cleaned it himself.

“Then you don’t have anything to worry about, will you?” Kenny Ackerman snickered, obviously trying to piss Levi off. “You better send the journalists home before you get a penalty for serving food from a kitchen that hasn’t been approved yet.”

“Oh god, the press,” Erwin mumbled hopelessly and looked up again. “Wha.. what are you gonna say to them?” he continued and looked up at Zackly and Riko.

“Us? We don’t have anything to do here anymore,” Riko said and reached for her jacket, “You’re the owner of the restaurant. It’s your job to explain this to them.”

“Me?” Erwin exclaimed, his voice pitching in desperation.

“We’re leaving now. I suppose I don’t have to tell you to handle this gracefully, do I?” Riko continued and sent Erwin a hard glance before leaving the office with Zackly, heading towards the back entrance.

“You’ve got ten minutes before we start,” Kenny Ackerman said and sat down in the middle of Erwin’s couch.

Levi quickly pulled Erwin out of the office to figure out how to handle it. Erwin looked like he was just about to have a mental breakdown and dug through his pockets to find a cigarette. Levi quickly snatched it away from him before he could light it and looked at Erwin with anger.

“Are you a complete idiot? They’re right in there, you can’t smoke inside the restaurant!”

“Oh please, Levi, don’t yell at me, it’s already a very very bad day,” Erwin whined and looked like a scolded child.

“Just relax for a moment, there has to be some sort of flaw in the new rule, something we can use to our advantage,” Levi mumbled and looked down at the document in his hand, taking his time to read it through properly. Something caught his attention that he hadn’t noticed earlier. The document had been signed by three people; the CEO of Food & Drug Administration, the head of the national food and drug ministry and a researcher who had signed the document as representative of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in Denmark, who originally came up with the smiley-system.

Levi’s eyes widened and if he hadn’t been angry already, he definitely was now. _“Eren Jaeger?!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As alwasy I want to thank my beta's, especially Taboo and Lotte because they've been beta'ing for me for a year now! Also, thanks for reading and commenting - the comments really mean a lot even though I might not answer. I'm just an idiot who can write 12k words long chapters but I can't figure out how to answer comments. They're really a great motivation, though! I will try to make the next chapter shorter so I can update soon. Please bear with me.


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